Our party is on God’s mission to rescue Nigeria- Party Chair
By Johnbosco Agbakwuru
AHEAD of the 2023 general elections, about 15 aspirants have indicated interest to vie for the Presidential ticket of the New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP.
This was disclosed on Tuesday in Abuja by the party’s National Caretaker Committee, while briefing journalists.
Recall that the former national Secretary of NNPP, Ambassador Agbo Gilbert Major, on the sidelines of the Special National Executive Committee, NEC, meeting in Abuja said that the party had opened up a discussion with the former Governor of Kano State, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, over his possible defection to the party ahead of the 2023 general elections.
He said in a matter of days, the two-time Kano State governor would join the party alongside his allies, this as the party has accommodated members of the Kwankwasiya Movement.
In a prepared text he read during the briefing in Abuja yesterday, the National Publicity Secretary Caretaker Committee of the NNPP, Ambassador Agbo Major said that the party is being repositioned, reorganized and expanded to accommodate millions of Nigerians yearning for a change in government at all levels in the country ahead of the crucial 2023 general election.
He said, “It is obvious that the state of the nation is bad. As a major stakeholder in the democratic process, NNPP is on a rescue mission to redirect the ship of the nation from its perilous course.
“After over 22 years of constitutional rule, Nigerians desire and deserve a strong, virile, united, progressive, prosperous and equitable democratic society. Previous governments failed to make the Nigerian dream possible. Fellow compatriots are today more impoverished than they were in 1999 as the much taunted dividends of democracy remain a mirage.
As a mass movement, a third leg in the nation’s political tripod and a leading opposition party in the country, the New Nigeria People’s Party has become the beautiful bride of Nigerian democracy. The ongoing alignment and realignment of political forces are eloquent testimony of the Party’s determination to win future elections in the country and salvage our dear nation from the jaws of political buccaneers masquerading as democrats with the sole intention to loot our common patrimony.
“In recent times, our great Party has been welcoming numerous Nigerians with shared ideology, progressivism, mission and vision. Prominent among them are esteemed members of The National Movement (TNM), Kwankwasiyya Political Movement, Market Women Groups in Osun and Gombe States, Youth Groups, defectors from other political parties and the masses who desire a new Nigeria which only the New Nigeria People’s Party government can usher in.
“To accommodate the high influx of new members into our great Party, its national leadership recently dissolved all organs and executives at all levels in accordance with the Constitution of NNPP 2018 as amended.
“The Party has successfully conducted Ward, Local Government and State Congresses across the country. However, State Congresses in Rivers, Imo, Plateau and FCT were suspended due to minor disagreements. The Caretaker Committee has invited leaders of the affected States to the National Secretariat of our great Party for amicable resolution of the issues raised. Thereafter, the Congresses in these States will be conducted.
“The Party’s Zonal Congresses are scheduled to hold on 28th March 2022, across the Federation. The climax of this giant strides in repositioning the Party is the National Convention which will hold in Abuja on 30th March to elect substantive national officers of the Party.”
The Publicity Secretary flanked by the party’s National Chairman, Caretaker Committee, Air Vice Marshal, AVM John Chris Ifemeje (retd), further said, “as Nigerians continue to embrace NNPP, our great Party has so far received 15 presidential aspirants and several aspirants for Governorship, Senatorial, House of Representatives and State House of Assembly seats.
“NNPP is democratic in its internal operations and urges aspirants to take advantage of this generally acclaimed democratic disposition to freely contest for its tickets. Aspirants are assured of a level playing field as we jointly strive to build a new Nigeria which all citizens will be proud of.
“As a grassroots political party, aspirants are also enjoined to carry out issue based campaigns and eschew politics of bitterness and brigandage that impeded the nation’s democratic development.
“NNPP urges the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to be neutral as the electoral umpire and conduct free, fair, credible, transparent, generally acceptable, inclusive and peaceful elections.
“The Electoral Act 2022 which provides for a Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and electronic transmission of results has renewed Nigerians’ confidence in the electoral process.
Since election is the beauty of democracy, the ballot box must be sacrosanct. Every vote must be counted and count in the overall result and the people’s mandates must be respected by all candidates and stakeholders in the political process.
“To safeguard the integrity of the ballot and ensure eligible voters are not disenfranchised, INEC should effectively tackle all observed challenges associated with the poor performance of Bimodal Voter Accreditation System in recent polls.”
The party said since Independence in 1960, “Nigerians have never had it so bad despite trillions of naira borrowed from foreign countries to improve the wellbeing of the people. The situation is equivalent to pouring water in a bottomless pit.
“Sadly, the nation gropes in the dark of power outage, perennial fuel scarcity, elongated insecurity, hunger, economic recession, political upheavals, confusion and uncertainty as if there is no government in place.
“With abiding faith in God and confidence in patriotic Nigerians, a new Nigeria is possible and achievable with the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP).”
Fielding question from journalists, the National Chairman, AVM Ifemeje dismissed the insinuation that the party was a dumping ground for the aggrieved members of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC and the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, who lose out in the power struggle in the parties.
He said, “Our party is not for the aggrieved. It is not a party for people jumping from one party to another. We can’t continue to recycle rubbish and expect the country to move forward. This party is on God’s mission to salvage this country.”
He also said that the party does not believe in any zoning arrangement rather it chooses its candidates based on merit and ability to deliver and devoid any ethnic or religious consideration.
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