Political economist Professor Pat Utomi has said the presidential candidates of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP; Labour Party, LP, and New Nigeria People’s Party, NNPP, have agreed to form a mega party that will wrestle power from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), in 2027.
Utomi made this revelation in an interview on Channels TV on Sunday.
Asked if Atiku Abubakar, Rabiu Kwankwaso, Peter Obi and Okey Nwosu have agreed to come together, Utomi said “Yes.” He was then asked what name they had decided to call the coalition.
Utomi replied, “We’re not talking about names yet. Besides these politicians I mentioned, I’m talking about leaders of social movements, leaders of social movements, the labour movement, and so on.
“I have even been part of creating a new tribe. Nigerians who are committed to certain values. Who says I will not give a bribe? I will not take a bribe. And you can then create a set of values that can lead to progress in the country.
“The way we are today, a few people in the world are willing to engage with Nigeria. They think there’s a collapse of culture and values in Nigeria. You can’t trust Nigerians. All kinds of things are here.”
He said, “It’s a really clean start. You have to start from the premise that Nigeria has not had a political party since 1999.
“And let’s be very honest with ourselves, what we have managed is to create platforms that enable machine politics from which to grab power, usually for state capture. If you want to test that, check how much the quality of life of a Nigerian has improved since 1999.
“It’s frightening, but the truth of the matter is that in 1999, a political class managed to build a certain coalition of accommodations to keep the military out and share the spoils of power.
“And somehow they did not manage to create an alignment with the Nigerian people to improve the quality of their lives. This is why you can see Nigeria deteriorating, becoming the poverty capital of the world, and becoming the centre of widespread violence.”
Utomi added: “And if you want to take some clear examples, I want anybody who is a political scientist or economist in Nigeria to look at where India was in 1999 and where Nigeria was in terms of mood, violence in politics, the quality of life of people, and where they both are today.
“In 1991, India was technically bankrupt. Foreign reserves could not accommodate more than three weeks of trading. What has happened since 1999 is that India’s politics have managed to focus on the rational engagement of a developmental state.
“Nigeria, on the other hand, has been travelling in the reverse direction. What better explanation can there be than the fact that Nigeria has not managed to organise the structures for political participation that can focus on the Nigerian people and lift their lives?” Utomi queried.
Meanwhile, recall that APC was formed by a coalition of All Nigeria Peoples Party, ANPP; Congress for Progressive Change (CPC); Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), and a section of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) in 2013.