POLITICS TODAY

[10/5, 4:25 PM] nasirdambatta: Ahead of the 2019 general elections, former president Olusegun Obasanjo, former president of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Olisa Agbakoba (SAN) and former minister of education, Dr Oby Ezekwesili have joined forces in a new party under the name People’s Trust (PT).

Other notable figures in the new party are the former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Ghali Umar Na’abba, former military governor of Kaduna State, Col Abubarkar Dangiwa Umar, former Prime Minister of Nigeria’s son, Dr Abduljalil Tafawa Balewa and the son of former Biafran leader, Chief Debe Odumegwu Ojukwu.

The new party’s national secretary, Mallam Naseer Kura, noted in a statement released Thursday that the party’s first national convention, billed for Friday and Saturday, 5th-6th October, ’18 in Lagos, would be headlined by Nobel Laureate, Prof Wole Soyinka.

Soyinka, will deliver a keynote address on “Birthing a New Democratic Nigeria through the Third Force,” at the elective national convention.

The statement reads in part,“The national chairman of People’s Trust (PT), a new mega political party of fresh breed leaders of the third force movement in Nigeria, has announced that the national convention of the Third Force Movement under the auspices of the People’s Trust will hold on Friday and Saturday in Ikeja, Lagos.

Kura stressed that the underlining motive of the gathering was for “some political like-minds to see how we can explore areas of collaboration, merger, alliance or accord. That is, in summary, the rationale behind tomorrow’s gathering.”

On the issue of members belonging to other alliances, he said, “What it means is that we are progressing towards gradual transformation; from a social movement to a political movement that might metamorphose into a political merger.” On whether their members will contest in 2019, he said,

“That is an area we will not categorical comment on for now. We may endorse some parties as well as encourage our members to participate in partisan politics.

“And that is what the Nigerian intervention movement has been canvassing for a long time in terms of bringing change in the political environment through change in political actors and shift in not-too-good style of governance as is exemplified in the current set of leaders we find in both the APC and PDP.”

Olisa Agbakoba, former president of the NBA, stated that party faithful’s, as well as ideological and political allies of the movement, are expected to storm the national convention of PT where far reaching decisions about the future and leadership of the party and Nigeria will be taken.

“The first ever convention of the party, which is slated to hold from Friday, October 5 to Saturday, October 6, 2018 at Lagos Airport Hotels, Ikeja, Lagos, is also expected to witness primaries for PT aspirants in the 2019 elections, as well as elections into party offices, where the review of PT Constitution and Manifesto shall be ratified, name and logo of the party shall be reviewed and the newly formalised strategic alliance and MOU for technical fusion with other political parties, movement and aspirants shall be ratified.”

NGlobal