We have over two million registered members, says Third Force

There were indications over the weekend that one of the Third
Forces, The Nigerian Intervention Movement, (NIM) under the
leadership of former president of the Nigeria Bar Association,
(NBA), Chief Olisa Agbakoba, SAN, has recorded over two million
registered members who have their Permanent Voters Cards as part of
moves to ensure change of government in 2019.

This came just as the group has claimed that it has received
overtures from former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s Coalition for
New Nigeria, some government officials from the presidency, a
former Vice President and a serving senator to align with them for
collaboration ahead of the elections.

The NIM, according to one of its prominent leaders, who is still
a card carrying member of the All Progressives Congress, which
targets youths, professionals and women had also held a meeting
with 35 political parties all of which expressed their
disappointment with the governance of President Muhammadu
Buhari.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, the top member of the group
said that NIM as a Third Force, is tailored after the ANC in South
Africa and France because while the Peoples Democratic Party which
governed the country for about 16 years has failed, the APC in
which the people has put their hope “has turned out a greater
failure.”

“The over 28 million electorate who voted in the 2015 elections
are done with the political class. Indeed, we have no political
class in the classical sense of it in Nigeria, but what we have are
political merchants and conspiratorial politics and politicians,
lacking ideological base and the people are incensed against
them

“Whatever you see today is the function of our disagreement with
the incumbent government of President Buhari run by certain
individuals who are covering up for his inadequacies. He has been
sick for some time, and no one is immune from such, but in
particular, we are disturbed by the mismanagement of the political
process and the shutting out of the people who worked to bring him
to power.

“Having realized that despite the agenda for change the
President has been effectively hijacked by family forces who are
exploiting his integrity status, we cannot but seek another
platform to save the nation,” he said.

Prominent among the group are former presidential adviser, Prof.
Pat Utomi, former Governor of old Kaduna State, Col. Abubakar Umar
(rtd), a chieftain of the APC in North-East, Alhaji Buba Galadima
Jelil Tafawa-Balewa and the former Minister of State for Defence,
Chief Olu Agunloye.

He said the group is committed to “democratic re-ordering of the
Nigeria’s political architecture” for effective people-oriented
governance, through a “political platform where youths will express
themselves and actualize their dreams.”

He said the group which is yet to choose any political platform
enjoys full support of at least seven labour unions and may work
with any of the parties, be it the National Conscience Party,
Accord Party, Labour Party or the All Progressives Grand
Alliance.

On its national spread, he said they have memberships in all
states and local governments in the country, just as their state
co-ordinators, secretaries, women leaders as well as youth leaders
have been making progress with their grassroots mobilization.

According to him, the group, which comprises of youths,
professionals, women and artisans has over 200,000 members in
Anambra State alone, and its spread is growing across the country.
It is also targeting some prominent northerners as presidential
candidate and running mate from the South.

Neither Chief Agunloye nor the Director-General of NIM, Mr. Wale
Okunniyi, were available for comments last night. They also failed
to respond to calls and text messages to their phones.

There were indications over the weekend that one of the Third
Forces, The Nigerian Intervention Movement, (NIM) under the
leadership of former president of the Nigeria Bar Association,
(NBA), Chief Olisa Agbakoba, SAN, has recorded over two million
registered members who have their Permanent Voters Cards as part of
moves to ensure change of government in 2019.

This came just as the group has claimed that it has received
overtures from former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s Coalition for
New Nigeria, some government officials from the presidency, a
former Vice President and a serving senator to align with them for
collaboration ahead of the elections.

The NIM, according to one of its prominent leaders, who is still
a card carrying member of the All Progressives Congress, which
targets youths, professionals and women had also held a meeting
with 35 political parties all of which expressed their
disappointment with the governance of President Muhammadu
Buhari.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, the top member of the group
said that NIM as a Third Force, is tailored after the ANC in South
Africa and France because while the Peoples Democratic Party which
governed the country for about 16 years has failed, the APC in
which the people has put their hope “has turned out a greater
failure.”

“The over 28 million electorate who voted in the 2015 elections
are done with the political class. Indeed, we have no political
class in the classical sense of it in Nigeria, but what we have are
political merchants and conspiratorial politics and politicians,
lacking ideological base and the people are incensed against
them

“Whatever you see today is the function of our disagreement with
the incumbent government of President Buhari run by certain
individuals who are covering up for his inadequacies. He has been
sick for some time, and no one is immune from such, but in
particular, we are disturbed by the mismanagement of the political
process and the shutting out of the people who worked to bring him
to power.

“Having realized that despite the agenda for change the
President has been effectively hijacked by family forces who are
exploiting his integrity status, we cannot but seek another
platform to save the nation,” he said.

Prominent among the group are former presidential adviser, Prof.
Pat Utomi, former Governor of old Kaduna State, Col. Abubakar Umar
(rtd), a chieftain of the APC in North-East, Alhaji Buba Galadima
Jelil Tafawa-Balewa and the former Minister of State for Defence,
Chief Olu Agunloye.

He said the group is committed to “democratic re-ordering of the
Nigeria’s political architecture” for effective people-oriented
governance, through a “political platform where youths will express
themselves and actualize their dreams.”

He said the group which is yet to choose any political platform
enjoys full support of at least seven labour unions and may work
with any of the parties, be it the National Conscience Party,
Accord Party, Labour Party or the All Progressives Grand
Alliance.

On its national spread, he said they have memberships in all
states and local governments in the country, just as their state
co-ordinators, secretaries, women leaders as well as youth leaders
have been making progress with their grassroots mobilization.

According to him, the group, which comprises of youths,
professionals, women and artisans has over 200,000 members in
Anambra State alone, and its spread is growing across the country.
It is also targeting some prominent northerners as presidential
candidate and running mate from the South.

Neither Chief Agunloye nor the Director-General of NIM, Mr. Wale
Okunniyi, were available for comments last night. They also failed
to respond to calls and text messages to their phones.