A new political movement, Grand National Political Coalition, has emerged with the sole aim of replacing the current political order with a better one.
It is co-chaired by legal icon and human rights activist, Dr. Olisa Agbakoba, SAN, and Dr. Abduljalil Tafawa Balewa, son of the former Prime Minister of Nigeria.
The new political order, it was said, would be such that would guarantee a prospering democratic system which would also boast of an inclusive political order.
According to a statement issued on Sunday by its Deputy Director General, Mallam Naseer Kura, the new movement was facilitated by the Nigeria Intervention Movement, NIM.
The movement is made up 35 registered political parties in Nigeria, labour and civil society leaders, women groups, youth movements, the coalition of persons with special needs, professional icons, eminent national leaders and other prominent stakeholders in Nigeria.
The emergence of the movement followed the adoption of its manifesto and constitution and a careful overview of the presentations, deliberations and inputs of the different leaders and cadres at the 2018 Grand Political Summit held at the Nicon Luxury Hotel, Abuja on the March 21, 2018.
During the summit, where the movement emerged, it was among other things agreed that Nigeria was tilting rapidly towards social and political disharmony and anarchy, hence the need for urgent political actions to ensure social cohesion amongst the Nigerian citizenry.
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It was also agreed that the present governance structure of Nigeria must be constitutionally redefined and structured to be more democratic and citizen inclusive.
It was stated that the wanton killings of Nigerians in whatever guise was unacceptable and viewed in serious terms as pure failure of governance and political system at both the national and sub–national strata.
Every Nigerian adult, it was also said, must as a matter of social responsibility obtain a voters card and participate in the recruitment process of public office holders, who seek for elective offices, and that the Grand Coalition as an interventionist force should interface with all willing political forces who shared its stand towards developing standards for all aspirants or candidates aspiring for elective office in the 2019 elections.
To correct the anomalies it has identified, the movement resolved that it would work in unison under the umbrella of the newly formed Grand National Political Coalition of the diverse peoples, movements and stakeholders of Nigeria towards overthrowing the current decadent pauperizing political order in Nigeria and to replace it with a prospering democratic and inclusive political system and culture
Other resolutions are to:
“Commence nationwide sensitisation, advocacy and public awareness programme on the need for every adult citizen of Nigeria irrespective of class and creed to obtain a voters card and engage in the emerging ballot based-PVC revolution initiated by NIM to democratically dislodge the entrenched corruptive political order in the country.
“Identify and recruit more national change agents and credible leading lights of Nigeria, who would become champions towards the actualisation of a new Nigeria of our collective dreams under the umbrella of the newly initiated Grand Political Coalition.
“Engage in grassroot and mass media mobilisation at all levels with special focus on local communities and the youth ahead of the 2019 electoral revolution initiated by the movement.
“Organise rallies and meetings with social, cultural groups across the country with a view of pursuing our agenda for inclusiveness and collective ownership of the Grand Coalition of NIM.
“Hold Zonal, State and Local Government summits simultaneously for the sole purpose of ensuring that all adult Nigerians not only obtain their voters cards but vote for the candidates that meet the agreed standards set by the Grand Coalition at the Summit
“Commission researches, production of documentaries, information leaflets, jingles and also the production and distribution of the NIM newsletters in English and all the major Nigerian languages towards the mobilisation of all Nigerians for the 2019 ideological paradigm shift in power configuration of Nigeria.”
The movement is said to have got the nod of prominent Nigerians including Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka; President of Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, Ayuba Waba; Comrade Isa Aremu; Air Commodore Dan Suleiman and Dr. Kalu Idika Kalu.