The New Patriotic Party (NPP) and Nigeria’s All Progressive Congress (APC) on Friday, March 8, 2024 made a declaration of working together to advance the development of the people they govern within their two countries, after a high-level meeting in Accra to strengthen their friendship.
At a joint press conference, moments after their closed-door meeting, the two political parties said they are united for a common purpose, emphasising the benefits they stand to gain from the cooperation they have strengthened.
“This is to let you know that something good is about to happen”, the National Chairman of the NPP, Stephen Ayesu Ntim, noted with his usual calm mood and a broad smile on his face, as he looked in the face of the National Chairman of the APC, Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje.
The meeting between the two governing political parties follows an earlier visit to Abuja by the Chairman of the NPP, where discussions to strengthen the bond that had existed between them commenced.
Alhaji Ganduje, also addressing the media, said institutionalising the relationship between the two political parties was very critical, considering the political instability in the region.
“We have to have engagements between the two political parties. We have to share our experiences. We have to share our challenges because as ruling parties in development countries we have peculiar challenges.
The challenges of providing dividends for our people with diverse interests; the challenges of opposition; the challenges of holding friendship of political parties – small, big and medium; and the challenges of external influences in our democracies,” he noted
The challenges associated with the political parties in government are so huge that it requires the introduction of strategic initiatives and programs to meet the aspirations of the people they govern and the various interest groups within the party.
“In Nigeria, our party, we have constituted a progressive institute for the education of our members who must be conversant with all issues pertaining to democracy for sustainable political development.
“This institute is working very hard to ensure that we consolidate internal democracy. A ruling party has the problem of internal progress because of the interest of internal groups. You have power in your hands – how to manage the power you need a powerful institution like a strong political party”, he underscored.
Alhaji Ganduje who was so passionate about the development of the two political parties within the subregion, said to further consolidate gains of their gains, it was important they constantly learn from each other and recognise the hard work of their forebears, believing that will serve as motivation to members of their political parties to work harder to achieve more for the party.
“We believe when we are conducting our elections, international observers, the international community, and civil society organizations from foreign countries do come to our countries to see what we are doing. But, can’t we have that one between ourselves as African countries?
“If Ghana is conducting an election, we need our ruling party in Nigeria to be here in Ghana. The same thing if we are conducting an election, we need your party in Nigeria because the experience you learn are more important than the experience that the foreign countries are coming here to learn in Nigeria because we have different political contest, different political background, different political aspirations but we as Africans we have similar political challenges”, he concluded.
Story by Stephen Odoi-Larbi, NPP Head Office
