- Professor Pat Utomi has revealed that he has had an encounter with the presidential candidates of the major opposition parties
- He hinted that a merger between them might be likely ahead of the 2027 presidential polls against the All Progressives Congress (APC)
- The professor of economics said he had appealed to these opposition parties to put their ambition aside and merge to forge a genuine political party
Legit.ng journalist Segun Adeyemi has over 9 years of experience covering political events, civil societies, courts, and metro
Pat Utomi, a prominent Labour Party (LP) stalwart, emphasised the need for key opposition leaders to prioritise national interests over personal agendas and engage in discussions for a “mega coalition” to advance.
Utomi conveyed this viewpoint during an interview on Channels TV on Wednesday, January 10.
As a former member of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), he disclosed that he had held discussions regarding the envisioned political coalition with major presidential candidates from the previous election, such as Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Peter Obi of the LP, and Rabiu Kwankwaso of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP).
Utomi clarified that the proposed political party is not geared towards fulfilling the presidential aspirations of any specific candidate.
Instead, he emphasised that the initiative is centred on the collective interest of Nigeria and the well-being of ordinary citizens.
Why Atiku, Obi, others will be formidable – Utomi
He mentioned that Atiku, Obi, and Kwankwaso will constitute the foundation of the upcoming political party.
As quoted by Premium Times, Utomi said:
“I talked to several of the presidential candidates in the last election about this track we are travelling. I have had conversations with Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, I have had conversations with Engineer Rabiu Kwankwaso, I have had conversations with Peter Gregory Obi and people like Ralph Okey Nwosu of ADC and some of the people who probably constitute the base.
“I had said to them, it is not about you, it is about Nigeria, it’s about the ordinary people in the street, it is about truly moving from this business of sharing from trickles of oil sales to how we can become one of the most productive economies.”
“We want to design a real political party with clear ideas” – Utomi
In additional remarks, Mr Utomi emphasised that the LP was swiftly employed in the recent election to contest the established system, whereas the upcoming party will be meticulously organised.
He further stated that every political party established since 1999 was initially designed to attain state power.
The professor of economics said:
“We want to calm down now and design a real political party with clear ideas of how you will become part of it, what you will do in it and therefore you accept to do or not to do before you come into it.”
2024 budget: Tinubu’s govt not paying attention to rational economic management, says Peter Obi
Meanwhile, Peter Obi has revealed that Nigeria risks plunging into further economic crisis due to irregularities in borrowing funds.
The former Anambra state governor questioned the procedure for approving the 2024 appropriation bill.
Obi slammed the national assembly for not exercising its duty of duly diligence and proper scrutiny of the budget.
Source: Legit.ng