2023: Na’abba, Ezekwesili, Falana, Sen Sani, Utomi, others launch new political movement

As the nation is getting reading to go to poll for the 2023 general elections, 30 prominent Nigerian activists, academics, and other professionals, have formed a new political movement called National Consultative Front (NCF) .

Part of the he group’s objectives they said include; mobilizing Nigerians for a popular mass action towards political constitutional reforms that are citizen-driven and process-led in engendering a new peoples’ constitution for the country.

The new group disclosed this via a communique at their National Secretariat, in Abuja, on Wednesday which they said was after a month-long nationwide consultations and virtual meetings.

Listed as members of the 30-member strong steering committee for the NCF include: Former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Ghali Na’abba; former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank, Dr. Obadiah Mailafia; Olisa Agbakoba, SAN; Femi Falana SAN; Col. Abubakar Umar (retd.), Dr Oby Ezekwesili; Prof Jibo Ibrahim; Yabagi Sanni; Amb, Nkoyo Toyo, Isa Aremu, Prof Chidi Odinkalu, and Senator Shehu Sani.

Others include: Prof. Remi Sonaiya, Mallam Tanko Yinusa, Alhaji Shettima Yerima, Lady Funke Awolowo, Peter Ameh and Ogbeni Lanre Banjo, among others.

The group will be unveiled to the public later this month. Part of the resolutions adopted after the meeting read in part, “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.

“The new movement shall also, without delay, mobilise for the economic wellbeing and prosperity of all Nigerians by demanding and ensuring that Chapter 2 of the present Constitution i.e.; “Fundamental Objectives & Directive Principles of State Policy becomes justiciable once and for all, 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.”

Members of the group expressed sadness that the nation’s political leadership has failed to protect Nigerians from the activities of bandits, armed robbers, and terrorists.

They also said it was time for Nigerians of good conscience to come together to deliver the nation from descending into chaos due to the absence of credible leadership.

The communique further read, “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

“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.”

The full communique reads;

BEING THE COMMUNIQUE OF A NATIONWIDE CONSULTATION AND ENGAGEMENT HELD BY A NEW PAN NIGERIAN CONSULTATIVE POLITICAL FRONT WITH SELECT NATIONAL LEADERS OF CONSCIENCE BETWEEN WEDNESDAY, 27TH MAY AND FRIDAY, 12 JUNE 2020. ISSUED BY THE SECRETARIAT OF NATIONAL CONSULTATIVE FRONT, NCF, TODAY, WEDNESDAY, 1ST JULY, 2020.

PREAMBLE:

Against the worrisome background of the continued slide of Nigeria into political anarchy and unabated bloodletting and deaths, owing to the incompetence and failure of the present political leadership of the country in dealing with the national democratic question of Nigeria as a diverse multi ethnic, multi religious and multi cultural entity, We, a select group of National Leaders of Conscience, Social Democrats and Revolutionary Ideologues, have been in consultations under the auspices of a new Pan Nigerian Consultative Political Front with other like-minded Fresh breed political Ideologues and Stakeholders, beginning from Wednesday, 27th May 2020 to Friday, 12 June 2020 trying to agree on a new political intervention for rescuing our dear country from the exploitative grip of a lacklustre leadership and the manipulation of a bickering, factionalised ruling political elites in Nigeria

Our nationwide consultations, essentially, motivated by patriotic concerns of Stakeholders regarding the chaotic and insecure state of Nigeria, an unfortunate situation basically induced by the country’s self serving politicians and rulers, were held largely within the prevailing ambience of the new Webinar communications technology, with a clear vision of building a new disciplined/competent Political leadership for the liberation of Nigeria’s muzzled democracy and hijacked State powers

Therefore, We of the new patriotic association of select Leaders of Conscience and Stakeholders in Project Nigeria, having undertaken thorough and painstaking deliberations and dialogue on the agenda to save our country from imminent political collapse and civil strife hereby wish to announce the outcomes of the historic national consultations and engagements as follows:

RESOLUTIONS:

1. The facilitating Secretariat of the National Consultative Front is mandated to immediately facilitate an interim steering coordinating council made up of experienced leaders of conscience and Democratic Ideologues to drive a new popular political intervention for urgently save Nigeria from the precipice of political anarchy and civil strife. The provisional leadership shall be inclusive and collegiate in structure, capturing the critical segments and crucial essence of the Nigerian diversity, in inspiring substantial confidence, trust, sense of belonging and ownership from all Stakeholders aligned within the new initiative notwithstanding social, cultural, religious and gender differences; such that every Nigerian can easily become a stakeholder and automatically imbibe a common sense of commitment and duty towards mass support, ownership and control of the new Movement slated for launching this month as a counter force to the current politics of moneybags, highest bidders and the cash and carry harakiri prevalent under the mercantilist ruling elites in Nigeria

3. That due to the critical deficiency identified in the governance of Nigeria, especially as regards the question of competence, discipline, cohesion and lack of democratic best practices among the present ruling class; a problem emanating from the dearth of principled, disciplined and ideologically motivated Political class and the absence of democratically birthed and ideologically inspired Political parties in the country; currently breeding factional and chaotic political emissions within the country’s ruling political parties; the new Movement shall undertake, as its key mandate, the conscious cultivation/building of a new ideologically disciplined alternative Political class as well as the formation of a new formidable ideologically driven, democratic mega political platform through popular Mobilisation to provide a reliable ideological leadership for the country, while positioning the masses for electoral power as was done by ANC in South Africa.

5. Consequently, the Secretariat of the National Consultative Front has been mandated to review and tease out lessons from certain past initiatives and interventions, so as to enrich & strengthen the new initiative in such a way that mistakes are not repeated and risks can be easily mitigated in the growth and expansion of the new Movement. Similarly, it was also resolved that the Secretariat should create massive awareness and sensitization about the bankrupt political and economic situation of the country vis a vis the historical mission of the new movement’s agenda to deliver the country from its present comatose state and stem its fast decline into a failed state. To this end, the Secretariat shall engage in conscious mass mobilisation and careful recruitment of revolutionary and true Change Agents in the media, academia, grassroots; among the Women, Youths, Artisan, Vulnerable Nigerians for the purpose of organising to engender a new Nigeria that works for all.

6. The new mass movement shall deploy a dual approach in its national and public engagement by expounding a combination of ideological and pragmatic perspectives, especially in its communications in the mass/social media and its outreach to the grassroots and the everyday Nigerians. This is with the aim of clearly exposing everything wrong with Nigeria’s current governance system and its political architecture, while providing viable and workable alternatives and simplifying our new ideological mission and agenda for the country so as to make it easily understandable and interpretable for effective buy-in of every Nigerian.

7. That the emerging mass movement shall constantly consult with credible fraternal political elders for their solidarity, while consistently slating policy issues for debate & engagements at the grassroots in developing the political consciousness and culture of the ordinary people on the street for them to realize and understand how to collectively change the demoralising and demobilising narrative and situation in Nigeria without having to give up but instead take ownership of the country through solidarity with like-minded Stakeholders, based on a new conviction and confidence motivated that the country can work in the hands of a new principled and disciplined leadership

ACTION PLANS:
Based on the above Resolutions, the following Action Plans are hereby adopted by the new National Consultative Front:

1. INTERIM STRUCTURE:
After due consideration, the National Consultative Front hereby initiates a 30 persons Interim Steering Coordinating Team of Eminent National Leaders of Conscience based on the diversity of Nigeria to henceforth pioneer and supervise the agenda, mission and engagements of the National Consultative Front towards the agenda for a new Nigeria. The Interim Steering Council shall operate as a collegiate leadership within the frame of a Rotational Chairmanship based on Geo Politics, Gender etc of its membership and shall have the responsibility of leading and supervising the planning and mobilisation process of our Political Agenda until the end of January, 2021, when the new political initiative shall be expected to transform fully into a major mass Movement in Nigeria enroute the birth of a revolutionary super mega Political Party by the adoption of an existing allied Political Party or the registration of a new electoral platform to be formally launched by June, 2021 at a major National Political Summit/Convention, where its first substantive National Executives shall be elected and inaugurated.

PROVISIONAL LEADERSHIP COUNCIL:

The following National Leaders of Conscience, Social democrats and Revolutionary Ideologues have been nominated, in no particular order of importance but in reflection of Nigerian National diversity, into the Interim National Steering Team, which is to operate with no permanent Leader but a monthly rotational chairmanship on the basis of geo political zones, Gender, political antecedent and reputation as follows:
Rt Hon Ghali Umar Naaba
Dr Olisa Agbakoba, SAN
Prof Pat Utomi
Dr Obadiah Mailafia
Barr Femi Falana SAN
Dr Oby Ezekwesili
Prof Jibo Ibrahim – Facilitator
Engr Yabagi Yusuf Sanni
Amb Nkoyo Toyo
Col Umar Abubarkar Dangiwa
Comrade Isa Aremu
Prof Chidi Odinkalu
Dr Kemi George
Barr Dan Nwanyanwu
Dr Osagie Obayuawana
Mallam Shehu Sanni
Prof Mrs Remi Sonaya
Mallam Tanko Yinusa
Alhaji Shettima Yerima
Lady Funke Awolowo
HC Peter Ameh
Ogbeni Lanre Banjo
Barr Mrs Georgina Dakpokpo
Dr Chris Ekiyor
Mr Jude Feranmi
Saadatu Falila Hamu
Mallam Hamzat Lawal
Hajia Khadijat Abdullahi
Mr Alistair Soyode
Prof Anthony Kila – Facilitator

The inaugural meeting of this distinguished body is proposed to hold before the end of July, 2020

ORGANIZATION & HARMONISATION
The Facilitating Secretariat has also been mandated to immediately initiate a grand plan for the purpose of institutionalizing a formidable foundation for the new organization by setting up of veritable offices in the six geo political zones of Nigeria. To this end the National Secretariat is to urgently engage and interface with Rt Hon Ghali Umar Naaba, Engr Yabagi Yusuf Sanni and Dr Obadiah Mailafia to facilitate suitable temporary Secretariats in the Northern Zone and in the FCT, just as it has also been mandated to meet with Prof Pat Utomi, Barr Femi Falana, SAN and Barr Bolaji Ayorinde SAN for suitable Secretariats in the Southern Axis and Lagos within the next one month. Further, the Secretariat is mandated to immediately rally and harmonise the interests and structures of all identified credible Allies and Stakeholders in solidifying the base of the new movement.

Furthermore, some of the platforms and constituencies already identified for further engagement and alignment are: NIM anchored by Olisa Agbakoba, Fix Politics Initiative anchored by Oby Ezekwesili, ASCAB anchored by Femi Falana, CVL anchored by Pat Utomi, Yes Movement anchored by Alistair Soyode, ADP anchored by Yabagi Yusuf Sani, LP anchored by Joe Ajero /Isa Aremu, Zenith Labour anchored by Dan Nwanyanwu, CUPP – Peter Ameh, Women4Women – Nkoyo Nkoyo, Not too Young to Run – Samson Itodo/ Saadatu Fali, TBAN – Kingsley Moghalu, PT – Hashim, ANN – Fela Durotoye, Northern Progressives – Col Umar/Shehu Sanni/Yerima, Organised Civil Society – Jibo Ibrahim/Chidi Odinkalu, Coalition For Revolution, CORE- Sheni Ajayi, among others not listed here.

STATE OF THE NATION:
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

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.

Thank you.

Signed
Wednesday, 1st July 2020

Prof Anthony Kila.       Prof Jibo Ibrahim
Facilitator                          Facilitator