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THE country's two major political parties, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) yesterday vowed to collaborate with each other to curtail the spate of ethno-religious crises in the country.
At a joint press conference addressed by the national chairmen of the two parties, Chief Audu Ogbeh of the PDP and Chief Donald Etiebet of the ANPP, the opposition ANPP differed from its presidential candidate, Alhaji Muhammadu Buhari when it expressed its recognition of the PDP Federal Government pending the determination of its petition against the declaration of President Olusegun Obasanjo as winner of the last presidential election.
Buhari had pledged not to recognize Chief Obasanjo as President on account of what he described as the massive rigging that robbed him of victory in the elections.
The two national chairmen who were in the National Assembly to marshall support among their legislators for the affirmation of emergency rule in Plateau State, however, differed when Chief Ogbeh sought the ANPP's collaboration in the revival of the nation's economy.
The two leaders also differed on the assessment of Governor Ibrahim Shekarau's handling of the recent religious crisis in Kano State.
Chiefs Etiebet and Ogbeh had respectively entered the Senate chambers at 10.09 a.m. and 10.29 a.m. respectively before the Senate went into a closed door session for the consideration of the motion on emergency rule in Plateau State.
Addressing newsmen during the closed door session the two party chairmen lamented the effect of religious crisis on the polity as they separately noted the effect of the riots on ordinary Nigerians who they complained have been made refugees in their own country. Chief Ogbeh who spoke first said: "There is no way we can answer God if we watch this kind of thing go on and do nothing about it. It is more serious than just politics of a state of emergency. It is an issue before God and man for which we will stand accused and judged if we do not take serious steps to stop these developments."
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