Professor Pat Utomi, the leader of the National Consultative Front, has described the current efforts to establish a strong alliance to defeat the All Progressives Congress in the general elections of 2027 as “serious business.”
One of the leaders of the opposition movement, Utomi, stated that in addition to members of five other political parties, a number of disgruntled APC and PDP members were eager to join the alliance.
Utomi said in an interview that a significant portion of the APC, PDP, and other political parties have indicated their want to join the alliance in order to preserve Nigeria from impending disaster.
Although he pointed out that discussions were still underway on regarding the specific platform that would be used for the 2027 conflict, he stated that a number of movements and parties will join the coalition and create an alliance.
Utomi said, “This is serious business. Nigeria is on the brink at a time of a changing global order.
“The approach we now take is to focus on core influence groups within parties.
“In this regard, there are good people who subscribe to our values and development strategy in APC and PDP who have significant following and believe there is a better way and have reached out to us.
“The Social Democratic Party that you have referred to is a work in progress. About five other parties are going through similar processes.
“Also bear in mind that huge numbers are getting ready to leave the APC and PDP and have been reaching out. But the core must be firmly fixed.”
When asked how the coalition plans to handle the different interests joining it, Utomi stated that self-sacrifice and creating a party leadership where decisions would be made collaboratively were the main motivators.
Following former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and a few opposition leaders’ announcement that a coalition is being established with the goal of overthrowing President Bola Tinubu in 2027, Utomi made this claim.
Alhaji Adamu Maina Waziri, Chief Peter Ameh, Soni Monidafe, former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) Babachir David Lawal, former Governor of Kaduna State Nasir El-Rufai, former Ogun State gubernatorial candidate Segun Sowunmi, former Director General of the Progressive Governors Forum (PGF) Dr. Salihu Lukman, and 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi, represented by Dr. Yunusa Tanko, were among those in attendance when Atiku announced the coalition.
Utomi emphasised that the alliance “aims to redeem the collapse of culture in Nigeria as well as showing by example how a disciplined political party acts” in an interview on Sunday.
Opposition groups and disgruntled members of the ruling All Progressives Congress are stepping up behind-the-scenes negotiations to establish a powerful alliance against the present administration, according to the NCFront, which has discussed the June launch of a massive coalition.
Key players from the North and South, including opposition parties, APC defectors, and civil society organisations, participate in the discussions.
The opposition leaders said that because of the disproportionate impact of President Bola Tinubu’s administration’s policies on their area, the northern stakeholders in particular are leaning towards forming a coalition to overthrow him.
Utomi went on to say that the coalition will run a government of national unity committed to promoting the common good in an environment that is democratic, open, and people-centred.
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“It needs a national unity government focused on a developmental state focused on bringing progress to every nook and cranny of Nigeria, not egotists and narcissists looking for state capture to burnish bloated personal accounts around the world while their country slides into the economic abyss.
“Another point is that leadership of the new order must be collective. No more of the Buhari or “Baba sope” approach that got in the way of a collective good goal in the past iterations of rescue missions. Decisions must be made collectively. We will not be victims of groupthink anymore.
“A collective shadow team will be active shortly and, where necessary, we will turn to people power to reset the agenda of our country.
“It is to make democracy work for the people and to ensure a government with a people-centered focus accelerates constitutional reforms for a better working Nigeria,” Utomi emphasised while discussing the coalition’s objectives.
“It also aims to redeem the collapse of culture in Nigeria as well as showing by example how a disciplined political party acts, especially in how more capable and values-driven people are recruited into public life.”
He added, “The change we deserve is about a core of people who are a self-sacrificing group focused on disciplined organization to move the apparatus of cooperation and state authority.
“It is also to advance the common good in an atmosphere of freedom that is democratic, transparent and people-centred because touts and criminals abound in many parties and will take money from those in power to simulate the appearance of crisis.”
