Why Labour Party (LP ) May not be the Platform for 2027 General Election — Veteran Che
Mega movement will emerge to unseat APC in 2027 – NCF DG, Okunniyi (Veteran Che)
Already, the current situation for both Labour Party and Peoples Democratic Party is that they are under a firm remote control of the Bola Tinubu led APC government.
Nigerians surely need alternative political platform to rescue the country from misgovernance of Failed hope and total hopelessness of the APC.
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| Okunniyi |
In this interview with WALE AKINSELURE, the Director-General of the National Consultative Front, Wale Okunniyi, discusses plans to form an “ultra-mega” coalition to challenge the All Progressives Congress ahead of the 2027 general election
Will the Labour Party remain the third force or will a new mega coalition emerge as an alternative to the APC in the 2027 election?
Cuts in… The Labour Party was the first force, if not for the rigging. It became the first force at the election after we created the Labour Party as the third force, and we won. Regarding 2027, we are not banking on a third force. We are going back to what we did in 2011 and 2015. In 2011, we started the mega summit movement to check the one-party rule of the Peoples Democratic Party, because the then-PDP National Chairman, Vincent Ogbulafor, said the party would rule for 60 years. At that time, we came together under the leadership of Chief Anthony Enahoro of blessed memory. I was the Secretary-General at that time too. Chief Olu Falae, and Odumegwu Ojukwu all had parties; Alhaji Lateef Jakande, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, and Dr Tunji Braithwaite came together to check the one-party rule of the PDP back then. We started that process in 2008. I was coordinating the secretariat at the time. Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and General Muhammadu Buhari joined us. Atiku came in from the PDP. The PDP was in power, but he had issues with its leadership. So that was what we did at the time to check the one-party rule.
Subsequently, the APC gained ascendancy into power and the PDP was in opposition. We created the APC. We were in the Congress for Progressive Change then, with General Muhammadu Buhari. I insisted to General Buhari that the only way to go is to create something formidable and to bring all the parties together, including the Action Congress of Nigeria and we did that. We created the APC through a merger of CPC, ACN, part of the All Progressive Grand Alliance, All Nigeria Peoples Party and forces in the ruling PDP then, including the likes of Rotimi Amaechi, and Bukola Saraki. Some of us always compare notes for things like that, because that’s our speciality and we were able to create APC. But in 2017, we began to talk of a third force because the APC in power was not doing well. The PDP, as the opposition, was not doing well. So we decided that there must be a third force. We started with what you call the Nigeria Intervention Movement, with Olisa Agbakoba, Pat Utomi, Tafawa Balewa, and all of us. Former President Olusegun Obasanjo latched onto that and also supported us. It didn’t materialise because, at elections, the movement broke into various parties. And then you have 15 of us contesting as presidential candidates against the others. So there was no way we could have won that election. Some even worked with the PDP. In 2019, after that election, we decided that we were going to consolidate on the third force initiative. On June 12, 2019, at MKO Abiola’s house, we had a resolution that we would have a third force. The third force, which was meant to be a major movement, will sponsor only one party, and we will not allow our members to contest under different parties. Everybody who joined must work towards a party and that was what we did by talking to the people. And so we started the National Consultative Front to consult and to bring all the other forces into a third force. Obadiah Mailafia, Attahiru Jega, Prof Pat Utomi, even Nigeria Labour Congress Ayuba Wabba, Oby Ezekwesili, Olisa Agbakoba, Femi Falana and so on. All of us decided we needed a third force of a fresh breed of youths.
When did Mr Peter Obi become the candidate of the third force in the last general election?
At one point, we couldn’t get a party of our own to register. So we started looking for political parties to use. Despite all the disappointment we experienced with existing parties, we were able to, last minute, very late in 2022, when the electioneering had started, we decided on the Labour Party, and we emptied all our force into the Labour Party to create a third force. It boomed almost immediately. That was how Peter Obi came in to join us in that third force of the Labour Party. Nigerians took it from us as theirs, and the Obidient movement. That was a formidable movement and we won that election, if not for what happened. This was because we had done serious work leading to the adoption of the Labour Party. On October 1, 2021, we held a major advocacy conference and rally to talk about the electronic transmission of results. And all forces are gathered through that in readiness to work together in a political party.
Variously, we have had different forms of engagement of government or the ruling power, either as a third force or as a strong opposition. But what is emerging now is that there are strategies and consultations ongoing, silently, with even stakeholders in the APC and the forces of the youth movement, forces of the PDP, Labour Party, NNPP and so on to come together to save democracy.
Considering the failings of the past, how do you intend to have a successful third-force campaign this time?
We are doing this not for ourselves but for productive democracy so that it won’t be a one-party rule or one-party dictatorship. That is what we are trying to do. The consultation is ongoing, and we will get an existing political party – it might be the Labour Party, it might be the PDP, it might be NNPP – it might even be any other existing party that we can move into, rebrand and restructure for a negotiated democratic leadership to emerge. Then, we will create a real mega movement, an ultra-mega movement within that existing party. This is because we know, quite well, that INEC may not be disposed to registering a new party. We are trying to see whether we can register but, if INEC doesn’t register us, we can use any of the existing parties. I speak as the Director-General of the National Consultative Front, which is guiding this, with Prof Pat Utomi as the chairman. We started the process on February 6 last year, during the birthday ceremony of Prof Utomi. We have consultations ongoing among gladiators within APC, PDP, and LP. All this will coalesce into a major, formidable coalition party that will engage governance and the ruling party. This aims to sustain democracy, rescue Nigeria, and ensure Nigerians experience the benefits of democracy.
Is the target simply to contest in 2027?
Well, that is part of it because if you don’t contest power, how will you be able to carry out your ideological programmes? How do you execute your ideas? What we intend to do is to build something formidable that Nigerians can take as their own, through our messaging and ideological presentation. It is not because we are saints. This is what we want to do and we will stand by it. We will be true to it and be principled enough to make sure it happens. That is not a problem for us because we have done this thing over and over again.
What will be different this time?
This time, we will learn from our various mistakes from 2007. I remember Atiku Abubakar and Muhammadu Buhari were supposed to work together, to engage (Umaru) Yar’Adua, which didn’t materialise. I remember some of us were arrested at Onikan Stadium. We will learn from our various mistakes. Although we had it in 2015 as the APC, what happened later? Some people seized power and locked up the Villa. Buhari was held captive. He didn’t even remember some of us who were the brainbox of his emergence. He was locked up in the Villa and didn’t remember all we promised Nigerians we would do, starting from Pro-National Conference Organisation days. He even vowed to Chief Enahoro that he would do them if we made him the President, but he didn’t remember to do them.
What did Buhari promise Chief Enahoro?
In 2003/2004, he joined PRONACO. He sat before Chief Enahoro to say that if he emerges, he will implement the PRONACO resolution. He didn’t touch anything. So, we have come a long way and we will go full hog this time in consultation. Our forces are strategising on the best way to save the country, to rescue democracy, and to make sure that the people take ownership of their governance. It’s not for us; it is for the people. We are going to a major national summit soon, where all opposition politicians and progressives will have their say on the kind of party that should be created. That will happen in the year.
When is it likely for the plans to take shape this year?
We are looking at June/July after the national summit of political stakeholders. In May, there will be a major national summit of political stakeholders and the people will be invited to shape the future of the new, ultra-mega opposition political movement that will emerge. Something will emerge by July. The process is going on. Just watch out
Are Atiku, Peter Obi and their men involved?
At their levels, they are talking; they are consulting. So everybody is involved and every talking point will connect. Every talking point for a virile and formidable opposition will have to connect at some point. All the forces will connect at the national summit likely to be held in May. We can use any of the parties. It may even be the PDP. Be sure that any chosen party would have its leadership rebranded and restructured. If you take an existing party, like the PDP or Labour Party, for instance, you have to discuss with their leadership to allow you to rebrand and restructure. You may have to get the consent of the incumbent leadership of such parties. You have to first know that they are amenable to rebranding and restructuring.
Is the North buying into the agenda?
The consultation is nationwide. The North is involved. The North is more involved now and I don’t know the reason for that. I only know the North is more involved than the South. Probably, it is because the President is from the South and, maybe, they are feeling the heat more. Even the consultation is generic. People were on their own and saw the El-Rufai forces moving. So many stakeholders in the APC are even more driven by consultations than some of us in the progressive movement. This is not geared at a person; It is geared at saving democracy. The aim is to rescue Nigeria so that the people can be taken out of impoverishment and hardship foisted on them by some of the policies of the government. And the people can then give a mandate. The government in the last 30 years has refused to consult the people. The consultative process has died. The last time that some gimmick of consultation happened was under the administration of Ibrahim Babangida, when you had to debate the collection of the Structural Adjustment Programme loan; debate the constitution and all kinds of things. People know what the government wants to do. But in a democracy, unfortunately, government policies and programmes are shrouded in secrecy. Before you know it, the National Assembly has passed it and the constitution of Nigeria is such that the people don’t even have a role in their governance. If you look at Nigeria’s 1999 military constitution, there is no role for the citizens to play. A referendum or plebiscite is taken off the Nigerian Constitution. In Britain, you see consultations on issues of the presidency. In America, the parliament is quick to throw issues at the people. So we want to change all of that; we want to empower the people more, to give direction to the new government that will emerge in Nigeria.
Atiku recently alleged that the APC bribed the opposition with N50m. How will your movement navigate such tactics, if the allegation is true?
It is for the consultation itself to be quite open, transparent and genuine. If the consultation is genuine, transparent, and democratic enough, it will navigate all attempts to stifle opposition parties with funds or other tactics. So, it’s for us to be thorough; I’m not going to tell you strategies on the pages of the newspaper. We have not done that in the past. But we can tell you that consultations are ongoing. We are aware of all the moves and that is natural. It is a political game. So, we are aware and we are doing everything to overcome that.
You have links with various groups and political parties. Is The Patriots, a group led by Chief Emeka Anyaoku, among those being consulted?
The Patriots group is not part of the movement. It is the National Consultative Front that is driving this. The Patriots group is involved in the national question, issues of federalism, restructuring, cohesion, national unity, national stability, and national integration. That may involve reforming the polity, having a major constitutional restructuring of the country, and having national conferences, and constituent assemblies. Members of The Patriots are not involved in partisan politics. These are eminent Nigerians who are above partisan politics
Are you suggesting that Nigerians should place their hope in the coalition you’re building to offer a truly fresh hope?
Well, You can’t build something on anything. The policy direction of the government is so discouraging, and it has not helped the economy. So it is most disheartening and demoralising. Nigerians should be hopeful because the emerging coalition will be owned by them. We will take the ownership straight to them. Nigerians are going to be represented in the party. That is a ray of hope which I think they can latch on. You know, the government can call a national conference and nothing happens. I thought they said they were going to do a youth summit sometime. They didn’t do it. What manner of governance is that? You are taking the youth, the citizens for a ride?
Source: Punch
Mega movement will emerge to unseat APC in 2027 – NCF DG, Okunniyi (Veteran Che)
Already, the current situation for both Labour Party and Peoples Democratic Party is that they are under a firm remote control of the Bola Tinubu led APC government.
Nigerians surely need alternative political platform to rescue the country from misgovernance of Failed hope and total hopelessness of the APC.
|
| Okunniyi |
In this interview with WALE AKINSELURE, the Director-General of the National Consultative Front, Wale Okunniyi, discusses plans to form an “ultra-mega” coalition to challenge the All Progressives Congress ahead of the 2027 general election
Will the Labour Party remain the third force or will a new mega coalition emerge as an alternative to the APC in the 2027 election?
Cuts in… The Labour Party was the first force, if not for the rigging. It became the first force at the election after we created the Labour Party as the third force, and we won. Regarding 2027, we are not banking on a third force. We are going back to what we did in 2011 and 2015. In 2011, we started the mega summit movement to check the one-party rule of the Peoples Democratic Party, because the then-PDP National Chairman, Vincent Ogbulafor, said the party would rule for 60 years. At that time, we came together under the leadership of Chief Anthony Enahoro of blessed memory. I was the Secretary-General at that time too. Chief Olu Falae, and Odumegwu Ojukwu all had parties; Alhaji Lateef Jakande, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, and Dr Tunji Braithwaite came together to check the one-party rule of the PDP back then. We started that process in 2008. I was coordinating the secretariat at the time. Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and General Muhammadu Buhari joined us. Atiku came in from the PDP. The PDP was in power, but he had issues with its leadership. So that was what we did at the time to check the one-party rule.
Subsequently, the APC gained ascendancy into power and the PDP was in opposition. We created the APC. We were in the Congress for Progressive Change then, with General Muhammadu Buhari. I insisted to General Buhari that the only way to go is to create something formidable and to bring all the parties together, including the Action Congress of Nigeria and we did that. We created the APC through a merger of CPC, ACN, part of the All Progressive Grand Alliance, All Nigeria Peoples Party and forces in the ruling PDP then, including the likes of Rotimi Amaechi, and Bukola Saraki. Some of us always compare notes for things like that, because that’s our speciality and we were able to create APC. But in 2017, we began to talk of a third force because the APC in power was not doing well. The PDP, as the opposition, was not doing well. So we decided that there must be a third force. We started with what you call the Nigeria Intervention Movement, with Olisa Agbakoba, Pat Utomi, Tafawa Balewa, and all of us. Former President Olusegun Obasanjo latched onto that and also supported us. It didn’t materialise because, at elections, the movement broke into various parties. And then you have 15 of us contesting as presidential candidates against the others. So there was no way we could have won that election. Some even worked with the PDP. In 2019, after that election, we decided that we were going to consolidate on the third force initiative. On June 12, 2019, at MKO Abiola’s house, we had a resolution that we would have a third force. The third force, which was meant to be a major movement, will sponsor only one party, and we will not allow our members to contest under different parties. Everybody who joined must work towards a party and that was what we did by talking to the people. And so we started the National Consultative Front to consult and to bring all the other forces into a third force. Obadiah Mailafia, Attahiru Jega, Prof Pat Utomi, even Nigeria Labour Congress Ayuba Wabba, Oby Ezekwesili, Olisa Agbakoba, Femi Falana and so on. All of us decided we needed a third force of a fresh breed of youths.
When did Mr Peter Obi become the candidate of the third force in the last general election?
At one point, we couldn’t get a party of our own to register. So we started looking for political parties to use. Despite all the disappointment we experienced with existing parties, we were able to, last minute, very late in 2022, when the electioneering had started, we decided on the Labour Party, and we emptied all our force into the Labour Party to create a third force. It boomed almost immediately. That was how Peter Obi came in to join us in that third force of the Labour Party. Nigerians took it from us as theirs, and the Obidient movement. That was a formidable movement and we won that election, if not for what happened. This was because we had done serious work leading to the adoption of the Labour Party. On October 1, 2021, we held a major advocacy conference and rally to talk about the electronic transmission of results. And all forces are gathered through that in readiness to work together in a political party.
Variously, we have had different forms of engagement of government or the ruling power, either as a third force or as a strong opposition. But what is emerging now is that there are strategies and consultations ongoing, silently, with even stakeholders in the APC and the forces of the youth movement, forces of the PDP, Labour Party, NNPP and so on to come together to save democracy.
Considering the failings of the past, how do you intend to have a successful third-force campaign this time?
We are doing this not for ourselves but for productive democracy so that it won’t be a one-party rule or one-party dictatorship. That is what we are trying to do. The consultation is ongoing, and we will get an existing political party – it might be the Labour Party, it might be the PDP, it might be NNPP – it might even be any other existing party that we can move into, rebrand and restructure for a negotiated democratic leadership to emerge. Then, we will create a real mega movement, an ultra-mega movement within that existing party. This is because we know, quite well, that INEC may not be disposed to registering a new party. We are trying to see whether we can register but, if INEC doesn’t register us, we can use any of the existing parties. I speak as the Director-General of the National Consultative Front, which is guiding this, with Prof Pat Utomi as the chairman. We started the process on February 6 last year, during the birthday ceremony of Prof Utomi. We have consultations ongoing among gladiators within APC, PDP, and LP. All this will coalesce into a major, formidable coalition party that will engage governance and the ruling party. This aims to sustain democracy, rescue Nigeria, and ensure Nigerians experience the benefits of democracy.
Is the target simply to contest in 2027?
Well, that is part of it because if you don’t contest power, how will you be able to carry out your ideological programmes? How do you execute your ideas? What we intend to do is to build something formidable that Nigerians can take as their own, through our messaging and ideological presentation. It is not because we are saints. This is what we want to do and we will stand by it. We will be true to it and be principled enough to make sure it happens. That is not a problem for us because we have done this thing over and over again.
What will be different this time?
This time, we will learn from our various mistakes from 2007. I remember Atiku Abubakar and Muhammadu Buhari were supposed to work together, to engage (Umaru) Yar’Adua, which didn’t materialise. I remember some of us were arrested at Onikan Stadium. We will learn from our various mistakes. Although we had it in 2015 as the APC, what happened later? Some people seized power and locked up the Villa. Buhari was held captive. He didn’t even remember some of us who were the brainbox of his emergence. He was locked up in the Villa and didn’t remember all we promised Nigerians we would do, starting from Pro-National Conference Organisation days. He even vowed to Chief Enahoro that he would do them if we made him the President, but he didn’t remember to do them.
What did Buhari promise Chief Enahoro?
In 2003/2004, he joined PRONACO. He sat before Chief Enahoro to say that if he emerges, he will implement the PRONACO resolution. He didn’t touch anything. So, we have come a long way and we will go full hog this time in consultation. Our forces are strategising on the best way to save the country, to rescue democracy, and to make sure that the people take ownership of their governance. It’s not for us; it is for the people. We are going to a major national summit soon, where all opposition politicians and progressives will have their say on the kind of party that should be created. That will happen in the year.
When is it likely for the plans to take shape this year?
We are looking at June/July after the national summit of political stakeholders. In May, there will be a major national summit of political stakeholders and the people will be invited to shape the future of the new, ultra-mega opposition political movement that will emerge. Something will emerge by July. The process is going on. Just watch out
Are Atiku, Peter Obi and their men involved?
At their levels, they are talking; they are consulting. So everybody is involved and every talking point will connect. Every talking point for a virile and formidable opposition will have to connect at some point. All the forces will connect at the national summit likely to be held in May. We can use any of the parties. It may even be the PDP. Be sure that any chosen party would have its leadership rebranded and restructured. If you take an existing party, like the PDP or Labour Party, for instance, you have to discuss with their leadership to allow you to rebrand and restructure. You may have to get the consent of the incumbent leadership of such parties. You have to first know that they are amenable to rebranding and restructuring.
Is the North buying into the agenda?
The consultation is nationwide. The North is involved. The North is more involved now and I don’t know the reason for that. I only know the North is more involved than the South. Probably, it is because the President is from the South and, maybe, they are feeling the heat more. Even the consultation is generic. People were on their own and saw the El-Rufai forces moving. So many stakeholders in the APC are even more driven by consultations than some of us in the progressive movement. This is not geared at a person; It is geared at saving democracy. The aim is to rescue Nigeria so that the people can be taken out of impoverishment and hardship foisted on them by some of the policies of the government. And the people can then give a mandate. The government in the last 30 years has refused to consult the people. The consultative process has died. The last time that some gimmick of consultation happened was under the administration of Ibrahim Babangida, when you had to debate the collection of the Structural Adjustment Programme loan; debate the constitution and all kinds of things. People know what the government wants to do. But in a democracy, unfortunately, government policies and programmes are shrouded in secrecy. Before you know it, the National Assembly has passed it and the constitution of Nigeria is such that the people don’t even have a role in their governance. If you look at Nigeria’s 1999 military constitution, there is no role for the citizens to play. A referendum or plebiscite is taken off the Nigerian Constitution. In Britain, you see consultations on issues of the presidency. In America, the parliament is quick to throw issues at the people. So we want to change all of that; we want to empower the people more, to give direction to the new government that will emerge in Nigeria.
Atiku recently alleged that the APC bribed the opposition with N50m. How will your movement navigate such tactics, if the allegation is true?
It is for the consultation itself to be quite open, transparent and genuine. If the consultation is genuine, transparent, and democratic enough, it will navigate all attempts to stifle opposition parties with funds or other tactics. So, it’s for us to be thorough; I’m not going to tell you strategies on the pages of the newspaper. We have not done that in the past. But we can tell you that consultations are ongoing. We are aware of all the moves and that is natural. It is a political game. So, we are aware and we are doing everything to overcome that.
You have links with various groups and political parties. Is The Patriots, a group led by Chief Emeka Anyaoku, among those being consulted?
The Patriots group is not part of the movement. It is the National Consultative Front that is driving this. The Patriots group is involved in the national question, issues of federalism, restructuring, cohesion, national unity, national stability, and national integration. That may involve reforming the polity, having a major constitutional restructuring of the country, and having national conferences, and constituent assemblies. Members of The Patriots are not involved in partisan politics. These are eminent Nigerians who are above partisan politics
Are you suggesting that Nigerians should place their hope in the coalition you’re building to offer a truly fresh hope?
Well, You can’t build something on anything. The policy direction of the government is so discouraging, and it has not helped the economy. So it is most disheartening and demoralising. Nigerians should be hopeful because the emerging coalition will be owned by them. We will take the ownership straight to them. Nigerians are going to be represented in the party. That is a ray of hope which I think they can latch on. You know, the government can call a national conference and nothing happens. I thought they said they were going to do a youth summit sometime. They didn’t do it. What manner of governance is that? You are taking the youth, the citizens for a ride?
Source: Punch
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