By Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja
A coalition of 42 registered political parties under the aegis of Committee of Concerned Political Parties have said they are considering the option of teaming up to present a joint candidate to contest the forthcoming presidential election.
Addressing journalists in Abuja at the weekend, the leader of the coalition of the 42 registered political parties, Onwubuya Breatforth, said the negotiations which is ongoing, would see the parties joining forces to sack the ruling All Progressives Congress  (APC) from office in 2019.
Some of the opposition parties which were part of ongoing talks to reach a memorandum of understanding are Allied Congress Party of Nigeria (ACPN), Freedom and Justice Party (FJP), Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN), Accord, New Nigeria Peoples Party, Social Democratic Party, Democratic Peoples Party (DPP), and All Progressives Alliance (APA).
While unveiling the group’s plan to field a consensus presidential candidate in 2019, Breatforth said: “We are not forming a merger but we are going to field and support only one presidential candidate. We are talking with different stakeholders and political parties including the PDP,†he said.
On the controversial re-ordering of election sequence bill which has  now been dumped by the National Assembly, he slammed the lawmakers for attempting to enact a selfish law for their selfish interest, arguing that the bill is anti-people and should be discarded.
He said: “I am happy that the bill has been dumped, and I earlier told people that the bill will not fly
The parties also condemned last Tuesday’s invasion of the Senate by armed thugs who carted away the mace.
Breatforth described the attack on the legislative chamber as shameful and unacceptable, adding that the group condemned in totality the attack.
Onwubuya, who described the invasion as a threat to democracy, asked the Inspector General of Police (IG), Ibrahim Idris, to bring to book those who masterminded the attack, especially the officers in charge of the security of National Assembly.
