By Olasunkanmi Akoni & Monsur Olowoopejo

LAGOS—All Progressive Grand Alliance, APGA, and 25 other political parties in Lagos State, yesterday, announced plan to form a strong coalition to contest for all political offices available in the 2011 election, to displace the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN.

The 26 parties, including the late Gani Fawehinmi’s party, National Conscience Party, NCP; Action Party of Nigeria, APN; Action Alliance, AA; Democratic People’s Party, DPP; and 22 others have consequently formed an alliance known as Coalition of Lagos State Opposition Political Parties, COLASOPP.

Declaring this at a media conference held at the International Press Centre, Ikeja, Lagos, National Chairman of APN and Convener of COLASOPP, Dr. Adebola Dominic said: “The sole objective of the coalition is to dislodge the ruling Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, from government in the upcoming polls.

One party, one logo

“The coalition is a decision reached by the leaders of the 26 political parties to contest the 2011 election in Lagos state on the platform of one political party. All candidates of the coalition shall campaign and contest under the name, logo and emblem of the adopted political party which we shall make public very soon.

“We resolved that all elective offices in Lagos State from the governorship, national and state assembly to the councillors shall be contested under new platform to remove ACN’s dominance in the state.

“ACN-government is concentrating its effort on trying to satisfy the ambition of an individual to expand his political empire in neighbouring states by sponsoring failed governorship and other political aspirants at the expenses of Lagos State.

“The ACN has been in government in Lagos State for 12 years and the so called achievement is in fact a disastrous performance when you consider the enormous resources at its disposal from the federation account and from Internally Generated Revenue, IGR.”

Continuing, Adebola said: “It is estimated that the ACN government in Lagos State has squandered N38.4 trillion in 12 years. Many African countries cannot boast of this amount in 20 years.”