ABOUT
30 years after its structures were rested, some young loyalists of the late
sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo and the founder of the Oodua Peoples Congress
(OPC), Dr Fredrick Fasehun, have finalised plans to reactivate the defunct
Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN).
Already, they have created 10
committees and constituted a four-man interim officers to accelerate the
process of registering the party by the Independent National Electoral
commission (INEC).
They include committees on: constitution
review; programmes and policies review; contacts and mobilization; research,
publications and publicity; ways and means; mass organisations; women
empowerment; state caucus; national caucus and board of trustees.
The party, founded by Chief Awolowo in the
Second Republic, controlled states like Ondo, Ogun, Lagos; old Oyo and defunct
Bendel that was split into Edo and Delta states. It was the main opposition at
the federal parliament until the military coup of January 1, 1983.
Formed on a clear ideological inclination,
the UPN implemented six cardinal programmes: free education, free health, full
and gainful employment, rural integration and development, functional
transportation system, all which were in tandem with UPN’s precursor, the
Action Group [AG] of the First Republic.
The young Awoists said the time was
auspicious for them to embark on the new journey owing to what they observed as
the absence of progressive tendencies among most members of the present
political elite.
They explained that they had since been
holding consultations with “older Awoists, irrespective of their political
affiliation, on our decision and intention, as well as to solicit their moral
and material support in the new struggle.”
According to them, “the UPN, when
registered, can collaborate with other progressive elements and associations
across the country with the purpose of acquiring political power for good
governance, national development and progress.”
Information obtained by the Nigerian
Tribune showed that the initiators, some of whom came in from Europe, United
States and other parts of the world to underscore the importance of the
project, met last Thursday in Lagos and agreed in principle to facilitate the
process of the registration of UPN preparatory to the 2015 elections.
At the end of the meeting, they appointed
some interim officers with the task of contacting other progressive elements
across the country towards forming a formidable platform.
The interim national officers included Dr
Fredrick Fasehun as chairman; Comrade Bari Salau, chairman, Contact and
Mobilisation Committee; Comrade Ola Olateju, protem national coordinator and
Alhaji Abubakar Sokoto as the protem national deputy coordinator/chairman for
the North-West.
According to a document detailing the
structure and programme and other major action plans of the party, the decision
to reactivate UPN is predicated on lack of character by the existing parties,
coupled with perceived inept leadership in the country.
The document stated, “After careful
observation of the nation’s transition from military rule to civilian regime in
1999, we the young Awoists noticed with regrets that Nigeria as a country
remains within the grip of political merchants whose interest is
different from invigorating national, political, economic and social
development.
“As politicians and activists of genuine
tendencies of Awoism, we resolved at our maiden meeting to accept the
responsibility of salvaging the country and democracy by picking the baton of
liberating our suffering masses from poverty, poor and corrupt leadership at
all levels, ignorance and disease from where the late sage Chief Obafemi
Awolowo and his reliable and trustworthy lieutenants left it in 1983.
“We observe that the current level of
political decadence in the country does not provide room for a single
progressive party to go it alone, or be able to muster enough strength to
emancipate the people throughout the six geo-political zones. This is due
largely to the polarisation of the political space by religion, ethnicity, poverty
and the craze for political patronage.
“Furthermore, we are yet to see any
significant difference in all the major political parties in terms of ideology,
governance, internal democracy and moral uprightness apart from their
nomenclatures, logos and propaganda.
“In view of this, we are strongly of the
opinion that there is a need to re-activate and register the Unity Party of
Nigeria to provide genuinely transparent, honest, selfless, truly hardworking,
purposeful and progressive leadership for which the masses have been yearning
over the years.
“This is done with the view of genuinely
transforming the nation and liberating the masses from the shackles of poverty,
ignorance and disease, all of which have combined to undermine political
emancipation and national development, and also inhibited the access to
opportunity for self-actualization, effective leadership and positive
democratic attainment.
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