The National Consultative Front (NCFront), the umbrella platform of the Third Force Movement in Nigeria, and their allies have rejected the Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) released on Wednesday by the Labour Party on the ground that the list included “opportunists, infiltrators and political jobbers who will constitute a major liability to the campaign”.
Among the protesting stakeholders and allies of the NCFront-Third Force Movement is the 40Million Ballots Movement. Last May, they adopted the Labour Party as its Third Force Mega Party for the 2023 elections, and said it has over 20 million members.
The NCFront-Third Force Movement took a swipe at the list for being filled with wrong positioning and placements of members and for being heavily lopsided due to the lack of due consultations required for such important and sensitive exercises.
In a statement jointly signed by Communication Executive of NCFront -Third Force Mega Coalition of Nigeria, Bilikis Bello; and the Convener, 40Million Ballots Movement, Comrade Kennedy Iyere, the group argued that, despite sending a robust list of leaders, zonal, state coordinators and key associates of the NCFront to enrich the PCC and make it inclusive and resourceful, the inputs and effort of the NCFront were jettisoned as the final list was heavily coloured by favoritism.
“The NCFront leadership, stakeholders and allies are therefore demanding for complete overhauling and demoralising of the PCC list before next week, as the list in some cases include the names of some known active members of PDP and APC and opportunistic elements, who are used to reaping from where they have not sown.
“The leadership and stakeholders of the Third Force Movement however warn that failure to review and correct the PCC list by this weekend will be followed by a major leadership and stakeholders meeting of all aggrieved allies of the Third Force Movement to review the movement’s continued alliance in Labour Party, which may lead into fresh negotiations with other like-minded political parties and allies, who will be appreciative and accommodating of its rescue agenda with full respect for the teeming members and leadership of the Third Force Movement”.
Labour Party, which has former Anambra State Governor, Mr Peter Obi as presidential candidate, released a list of 1,234 PCC members on Tuesday. Its chairman is a retired Assistant Inspector General, Mohammed Zarewa, while former presidential spokesman, Dr Doyin Okupe is the Director General.
