Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia
The political fortunes of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, in 2027 polls may have come under threat as some major political forces in the country are said to have agreed to form an alliance and float a mega party.This was disclosed by a Political Economist, Professor Pat Utomi, while featuring on Channels Television.
He said that the presidential candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP in the 2023 polls; Alhaji Atiku Abubakar; his Labour Party, LP, counterpart, Mr Peter Obi; and the New Nigeria People’s Party, NNPP, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, have agreed to form a mega party that would wrestle power from the ruling APC.
Professor Utomi, however, did not disclose the name of the proposed mega political party, saying that that is immaterial at the moment.
“We’re not talking about names yet. Besides, these politicians I mentioned, I’m talking about leaders of social movements, the labour movement and so on.
“I have even been part of creating a new tribe, Nigerians who are committed to certain values, who say I will not give a bribe; I will not take a bribe. And you can then create a set of values that can lead to progress in the country.
“The way we are today, a few people in the world are willing to engage with Nigeria. They think there’s a collapse of culture and values in Nigeria. You can’t trust Nigerians. All kinds of things are here. It’s a clean start.
“It’s a really clean start. You have to start from the premise that Nigeria has not had a political party since 1999.
“Let’s be very honest with ourselves, what we have managed is to create platforms that enable machine politics from which to grab power, usually for state capture.
“If you want to test that, check how much the quality of life of a Nigerians has improved since 1999.
“It’s frightening but the truth of the matter is that in 1999, a political class managed to build a certain coalition of accommodation to keep the military out and share the spoils of power.
“Somehow, they did not manage to create an alignment with the Nigerian people to improve the quality of their lives. This is why you can see Nigeria deteriorating, becoming the poverty capital of the world, becoming the centre of widespread violence.”
Obi’s 2023 presidential bid brought a new wave in Nigeria’s politics that dislodged and claimed some established politicians in some parts of the country.
