Utomi’s NCFront backs Peter Obi’s move to rally Atiku, Saraki, Lamido, other opposition leaders

Maureen Aguta

The National Consultative Front (NCFront), has thrown its weight behind the series of meetings held by the presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 general elections, Mr Peter Obi, with various opposition leaders.

The Frontier reports that the former governor of Anambra State yesterday held a closed-door meeting with former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, and a number of Peoples Democratic Party stalwarts in Abuja.

Obi also met separately with a former governor of Jigawa State, Sule Lamido, and former Senate President, Bukola Saraki, a development that sparked speculation about a potential coalition ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Reacting to the meetings, NCFront, a major political consortium of leading opposition forces in the country, said it “commends and applauds Mr Peter Obi, Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party in 2023, for his deft political moves to rally leading opposition leaders in the country to engage and challenge the misrule of the country by the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, which, within 11 months of taking power has brought the country to its knees of impoverishment and anarchy.”

NCFront led by Prof Pat Utomi made this known in a statement issued today and signed by its spokesperson, Mallam Hamisu San Turaki.

The statement made available to The Frontier further said, “The NCFront wishes to state that Peter Obi strategic consultations, yesterday, with Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, Presidential Candidate of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP and other leading opposition figures in the country has been adopted by our Front as a teaser to the flag off of a series of activities already lined up by a New Committee recently set up by the NCFront to facilitate and coordinate Realignment and Fusion of leading opposition leaders and forces towards the formation of a new ideology based and value driven ultra Mega Political Movement based on rapprochement and realignment of opposition political leaders and forces to check growing misrule of the APC and save Nigeria from imminent collapse.

“Furthermore, the Realignment and Fusion process, which is expected to throw up an alternative Mega Political Movement for Nigerians by March 2025, is expected to prioritise the mobilisation of likeminded political leaders and forces across the country into one ideological mega political platform irrespective of their present political parties. To this extent, the question of merger of political parties is relegated to the background as secondary and can only be entertained if it becomes necessary after the formation of the new mega party by like-minded political leaders and groups in the country.

“It is worthy of note that the above modu operandi was adopted at the inaugural meeting of the Committee hosted in Lagos on 6th February, 2024 by Prof Pat Utomi. Members of the Broad based Realignment and Fusion Implementation Committee include Prof Pat Utomi, Engr Buba Galadima, Senator Shehu Sanni, Amb Mrs Nkoyo Toyo, Barr Ladipo Johnson, Mallam Ibrahim Ali Ansami, Mr Adai Edwin Adai, Obongawan Barbara James, Barr Promise Adewusi, mni, Mrs Chinyere Oforkansi, Mallam Hamisu San Turaki, among others.

“The committee is billed to Flag off the process of its political realignment and intervention next month by hosting major consultative meetings with leading opposition Presidential Candidates in the country, especially Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi and Rabiu Musa Kwakwanso. This is to be followed by joint national intervention meetings and summit of like-minded political leaders and groups in the country on the state of Nigeria, as a prelude to initiating a broad based ideological and value driven political movement and ultra Mega political party to save Nigeria from growing misrule of the APC.

“Finally, the question of who becomes the flag bearer of the new Movement in 2027 has already been foreclosed and will only be discussed and popularly resolved after the formation of the mega movement as the leading presidential candidates in the 2023 elections and other political gladiators in the consultations have already decided to jettison their personal political ambitions for the formation of a formidable opposition movement capable of saving everyone from an imminent national mishap.

“So, National Salvation first is the guiding rule of this political intervention of the Nigerian opposition and any individual, no matter highly placed, found pursuing personal political agenda risks expulsion from the movement.”