EXCLUSIVE: Atiku, Peter Obi, Kwankwaso Form New Party
The National Consultative Front (NCFront), a major political consortium of leading opposition forces in Nigeria, has revealed an ongoing move to unite the major candidates in the 2023 presidential election.
It specifically mentioned former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi and Rabiu Kwakwanso as some of those it was trying to unite to form a new mega movement to save Nigeria from the “misrule of the All Progressives Congress (APC)”.
The group led by Prof. Pat Utomi disclosed this in a statement issued by its national spokesperson, Mallam Hamisu San Turaki on Tuesday.
NCFront commended and applauded the presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 election, Mr Peter Obi, for what it described as his “deft political moves to rally leading opposition leaders in the country to engage and challenge the misrule of the country by the ruling APC”.
The group added that Obi’s consultations with Atiku, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 election, and other leading opposition figures in the country had been adopted by NCFront.
According to the group, the strategic consultations are a teaser to the flag-off of a series of activities lined up by a new committee recently set up to facilitate and coordinate the realignment and fusion of leading opposition leaders and forces towards the formation of a new ideology.
It said the realignment and fusion process was expected to throw up an alternative Mega Political Movement for Nigerians by March 2025, adding that it was also expected to prioritise the mobilisation of like-minded political leaders and forces across the country into one ideological mega-political platform irrespective of their political parties.
“To this extent, the question of merger of political parties is relegated to the background as secondary and can only be entertained if it becomes necessary after the formation of the new mega party by like-minded political leaders and groups in the country,” the statement said.
“It is worthy of note that the above modus operandi was adopted at the inaugural meeting of the Committee hosted in Lagos on 6th February, 2024 by Prof Pat Utomi. Members of the Broad-based Realignment and Fusion Implementation Committee include Prof Pat Utomi, Engr Buba Galadima, Senator Shehu Sanni, Amb Mrs Nkoyo Toyo, Barr Ladipo Johnson, Mallam Ibrahim Ali Ansami, Mr Adai Edwin Adai, Obongawan Barbara James, Barr Promise Adewusi, mni, Mrs Chinyere Oforkansi, Mallam Hamisu San Turaki, among others.
“The committee is billed to Flag off the process of its political realignment and intervention next month by hosting major consultative meetings with leading opposition Presidential Candidates in the country, especially Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi and Rabiu Musa Kwakwanso.
“This is to be followed by joint national intervention meetings and summit of like-minded political leaders and groups in the country on the state of Nigeria, as a prelude to initiating a broad-based ideological and value-driven political movement and ultra Mega political party to save Nigeria from growing misrule of the APC.”
On the question of who becomes the candidate of the new movement in 2027, the group said that it had already been foreclosed and “will only be discussed and popularly resolved after the formation of the mega movement”.
It added that the leading presidential candidates in the 2023 elections and other political gladiators in the consultations have already decided to jettison their political ambitions for the formation of a formidable opposition movement capable of saving everyone from an imminent national mishap.
“So, national salvation first is the guiding rule of this political intervention of the Nigerian opposition and any individual, no matter highly placed, found pursuing personal political agenda risks expulsion from the movement,” it said.
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