Professor Pat Utomi has stated that his proposed merger of opposition parties to take power from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2027 is not for ‘machine politics’ but for genuine service to Nigerians.
He made the revelation while reacting to comments by the Deputy National Organizing Secretary of the APC, Nze Chidi Duru, on his merger plans.
Recal that Utomi said that three presidential candidates in the 2023 general elections, Atiku Abubakar of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Peter Obi of Labour Party (LP) and Rabiu Kwankwaso of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), had agreed to form a mega party that would dislodge the APC in 2027.
According to Utomi, after conversing with the three political heavyweights, he agreed to form a mega party that would take over Nigeria’s leadership.
He said Nigerians needed people who would make sacrifices for the development of the country.
While responding to Utomi’s earlier claims, Duru condemned Utomi’s plan while the National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Felix Morka also labelled Utomi as a serial promoter of mega parties which never materialized.
While reacting to the comments, Utomi expressed optimism that through the merger initiative, Nigeria would rise up again.
He said: “I read with interest the response by Nze Chidi Duru to speculations about what has been called a merger of opposition parties. That response itself is much evidence of progress.
“To clarify, what I have been speaking to is not the hurried coupling together of interests to create a platform for machine politics like the Daley machine in Chicago to obtain desired elections outcomes and foist state capture on a wearied people.
“What I have been speaking to is the founding of a real political party. This is something that has eluded this fourth republic.
“The major issues we adopt such as constitutional reforms and the emphasizing the principle of subsidiarity and bottom up people’s entrepreneurial capitalism will be agreed to before people sign up for leadership roles.
“Can old gladiators I have called out previously have a role?. If they do a mea culpa and accept that this is about Nigeria and not themselves there will be room for embrace.”
