By Chukwudi Nweje
After over 15 months of speculations on its political move, the National Consultative Front, (NCFront), yesterday, unveiled the Labour Party, (LP) as its political party of choice for the 2023 general elections.
The group, which disclosed this in a statement Sunday, signed by Bilikis Bello, Communications Executive at the NCFront National Secretariat also said it has commenced the fusion of its structures of into the Labour Party.
It said, “ After about fifteen months of painstaking engagements with like-minded allied political parties, the National Consultative Front, (NCFront), the umbrella body of the ‘3rd Force’ Movement and political alternatives to the ruling APC and PDP in Nigeria, wish to announce that its has finally adopted the Labour Party as the mega party for ‘3rd Force’ Stakeholders and Allies for the 2023 elections.
“This historic adoption of the Labour Party was made possible by the new rapprochement between the leadership of the Labour Movement and the hierarchy of the Labour Party; an emergent solidarity jointly spearheaded by President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, Ayuba Wabba and the Trade Union Congress, TUC President, Quadri Olaleye both of whom have since personally revalidated their membership of the Labour Party by formally registering with the Party last week. With the adoption of the Labour Party as our 3rd Force Mega Party, the NCFront has commenced the fusion of its structures of over 20 million members and supporters nationwide into the Labour Party.”
NCFront, co-chaired by eminent professor of economics and management expert, Pat Utomi, in the past over year has been consulting with about seven other political parties and associations towards birthing a Third Force political party that will challenge the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the major opposition party, the People’s Democratic Party, (PDP) in 2023.
“Taking inspiration from the consummation of NCFront/Labour Party novel fusion, leaders of the ‘3rd Force’ Movement across party lines, including Prof Jega, Prof Utomi, Senator Dansadau, among others have been mandated by the Leadership of the 3rd Force Movement and like-minded allied political parties to drive a Mega Electoral Alliance of the 3rd Force Movement towards the adoption of a single line of candidates among seven allied Parties involved in the ‘3rd Force’ alliance talks for the 2023 Elections”, the NCFront added.
Bello noted that NCFront settled for the LP because of its “people’s centered, pan Nigerian nature that can inclusively serve the interests of all Nigerians.”
The group praised the leadership of organised labour, the Nigeria Labour Congress, (NLC), the Trade Union Congress, (TUC) for their role in the successful birthing the of the 3rd Force.
It noted that the fusion of the NCFront and the Labour Party will provide Nigerians a platform that will take them to “the glorious future we all desire for our dear country.”
“With the novel synergy between the Labour Party and the NCFront, the convening platform of the 3rd Force Movement, which is also today the largest political mass movement in the country, Nigerians can be rest assured that the glorious future we all desire for our dear country, is now achievable by 2023, especially with the brewing implosion hovering over the ruling cartel of APC and PDP, which will soon burst into unpreventable disintegration after their party primaries.”
It said it will set up an inclusive Consensus Technical Committee to screen presidential aspirants and other aspirants of ‘3rd Force’ allied Parties towards the adoption of a single line of candidates across all 2023 elections.
“An inclusive Consensus Technical Committee to screen presidential aspirants and other aspirants of ‘3rd Force’ allied Parties towards the adoption of a single line of candidates across all 2023 elections, is expected to be set up next month after the conclusion of all party primaries” the statement said.
