NIGERIAN Intervention Movement, which is chaired by former National President of the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, and a foremost human rights activist, Dr. Olisa Agbakoba, has adopted Alliance for New Nigeria as the political party to contest the 2019 general elections.
The political movement, co-chaired by Dr. Abdul Jelil-Tafawa Balewa, announced its adoption of ANN, a relatively new party, on Wednesday at a gathering on Lagos.
The event was graced by prominent NIM members of NIM and executive members of the ANN, including a son of late Dim Igbo and founder of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, Chief Emeka Odimegwu-Ojukwu, Debe; Fela Durotoye and Elishama Ideh, both presidential aspirants on the the ANN platform.
In his speech at the gathering, Agbakoba said the decision of NIM to fuse into ANN was borne out of the need to realise its vision for Nigeria.
The leading lawyer who wasepresented by NIM’s Deputy-Director-General, Mallam Nasir Kuta, said the limited time to the general elections would not permit NIM to register as a political party to pursue its vision, explaining that the movement settled for ANN because the party shared in its vision and ideology to build a better Nigeria.
According to him: “It is trite to state that the majority of Nigerians have been overwhelmed by the extant quality of politics going on in our dear country as manifested by self-serving politics. For us in NIM, the whole essence of political leadership and government is the welfare and wellbeing of the citizenry.
“Therefore, there is need to restore hope to this country. The NIM was formed on 28th November, 2017 by new breed leaders of conscience towards breathing a new life of constitutional democracy and good governance trajectory that will engender a new Nigeria that works for all of us.
“Therefore having come to the reasoned conclusion that political parties are pillars for nurturing popular democracy and nurturing good governance and that political parties that have superintended over the affairs of the country have failed, and given the timeline of the general elections, it was our resolve to adopt a fresh and untainted political party with elemental potential of delivering dividends of democracy towards realising a new Nigeria of our dream.”
He added that ANN was chosen after NIM had scanned no fewer than 17 parties that shared its vision, noting that ANN was the only party appropriate for NIM to pursue its Permanent Voter Card driven ballot revolution in 2019.
With the adoption of ANN, he said the political movement would gradually wind up and fuse into the party democratically.
Agbakoba urged Nigerians to join the ANN with the NIM to present a credible alternative in 2019. He also urged citizens to obtain their PVCs as it was the instrument with which to elect their preferred leaders.
On his part, ANN National Chairman, Dr. Jay Osi-Samuels, said the adoption of ANN by NIM was historic noting that the marriage of the two platforms was borne out of the need to give Nigerians a credible alternative in 2019.
He said the coming of the two platforms meant they were both one and that the structure now belonged to both groups. He urged Nigerians to trust the platform to deliver the goods in 2019.
He said: “We also urged citizens to obtain their PVCs as that is what they need to realise the country of their dream.”
