2023: Na’abba, Agbakoba Plot To Wrestle Power From APC, PDP

By Fola James

Activists and political leaders averse to the current leadership in the country have formed a political movement, the National Consultative Front, NCF with the aim of wrestling power from the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC in 2023

NCF made up of Nigerians from all walks of life declared in Abuja on Wednesday that “A new ideological mass Movement shall be initiated to embark on immediate mass mobilisation of the nooks and crannies of the country for popular mass action towards political constitution reforms that is citizens-driven and process-led in engendering a new Peoples’ Constitution for a new Nigeria that can work for all.”

Before the 2019 general election, some prominent Nigerians, including Olisa Agbakoba, a senior advocate of Nigeria, SAN, former minister of Education, Oby Ezekwesili, formed a coalition against the APC, but they didn’t succeed in their quest to defeat the ruling party.

But just barely one year after President Muhammadu Buhari was re-elected, a score of prominent Nigerian activists, from across the country, including Agbakoba and Ezekwesili have come together again to form the NCF.

The group also consists of Ghali Umar Na’abba, former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Col Abubakar Umar (rtd.), Femi Falana, Shehu Sani, Prof Jibo Ibrahim; Yabagi Sanni; Amb, Nkoyo Toyo, Isa Aremu and Prof Chidi Odinkalu, former Chairman, National Human Rights Commission, NHRC among others.

According to a communiqué released on Wednesday, the promoters said their objective is to engender public reform that will lead to the drafting of a new constitution for the country.

The magazine learnt that effort is on top gear to bring other respected Nigerians into the group ahead the 2023 general election.

The NCF stated that it will strive to ensure that the nation’s resources are used for the promotion of welfare of Nigerians “while also mounting an articulate and vigorous campaign to deconstruct and reconstruct obnoxious election laws which have provided leeway for opportunists in the corridor of power to subvert the will of the electorate making voting irrelevant in determining who actually becomes elected in Nigeria.”

They called on other well meaning Nigerians to join them in salvaging the country from further drifting into anarchy and poverty.

According to the communique “Our Political Coalition wish to assert that the current factionalisation and imbroglio rocking dominant political parties in Nigeria as well as the heightening political tension in the country, especially within the Nigerian ruling class, have further given credence to our resolve and intervention to provide a credible alternative political class and leadership for Nigeria as most of those who pride themselves as Leaders of our country in the last twenty-one years of civil rule have proved to be huge failures and burden to the wellbeing of our people.’

They called on President Buhari to end the mindless killing of Nigerians by Boko Haram and bandits, bemoaning the state of insecurity in the country.

Therefore “To this end, we decry in categorical terms, the ongoing mindless massacre and kidnappings in the North West, North East, Southern Kaduna, the Middle Belt, Southern part of Nigeria and in fact the country at large by armed bandits and insurgents, who invade our communities, especially at night to inflict terror and murder on hapless residents and unsuspecting indigenes.

We hereby call on those presently in charge of our Federal Government, military, and security apparatus to immediately wake up and do everything to stop the ongoing senseless pogrom against the masses of our people,” NCF said.

Meanwhile, President Buhari has warned that more Nigerians are likely to slip into poverty as a result of impact of the killer corona virus pandemic on the nation’s economy.

He however assured that his government is working tirelessly to tackle the myriad of problems facing the country.