The latest members of Unity for Democracy and Justice (UDJ), former President of Ethiopia, Dr. Negaso Gidada, as well as former Defence Minister, Siye Abraha, were among founders of the EPRDF.
Gidada was expelled from both the party and the President's office in 2001 following a quarrel with other senior EPRDF and government officials.
He then became an independent MP and has ever been challenging his former comrades in Parliament.
Siye, founder and one of the senior leaders in Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), the dominant regional party in the ruling coalition, EPRDF, was arrested in July 2002 accused by government of grand corruption.
His charge was dropped on June 11, 2007, and after he was released he became an independent opposition politician and a member of the Forum for Democratic Dialogue in Ethiopia (FDDE), a coalition of 8 opposition parties including Gidada.
Gidada, who was widely seen as just a ceremonial head of state while he was in Ethiopia's national palace between 1995 and 2001, said he joined the UDJ to try to unite Ethiopia.
He also asked, for a second time, forgiveness from Ethiopians for deceiving them that the country's constitution was ratified in 1995 with full participation of all political parties and in a democratic way.
'There were a number of political parties that were excluded from the process,' he said in his statement during a ceremony for the two former strong men's official induction to UDJ.
Siye came out of jail in June 11, after six years' imprisonment on charges of involvement in grand corruption.
He was accused by the Federal Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission of abuse of office in aiding associates gain benefits in accessing bank loans, acquiring trucks and buying state properties from the government through privatization.
The long fought and highly controversial case had erupted following the top party leadership rupture in the TPLF in early 2000, immediately after the Ethio-Eritrea border war ended.
During his induction to UDJ Thursday, Siye said that he realizes that the task to challenge the ruling party is a tough one.
'It is well known that the road to forming a strong competitive party in this country is fraught with dangers. On the other hand, it is also well known that a viable democracy cannot be built without a strong, competitive party,' he said.
'Therefore it is imperative that we work for the building of such a political force.'
Many believe that the defection of these ex-officials of the government will possibly boost the growing popularity of UDJ, a multi-ethnic party whose chief is in jail in cases related to protests following Ethiopia's last election in May 2005.
Addis Ababa - Pana 26/11/2009
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