By Sunday Ani
The global political fundraising movement, FUND40MB Donation Campaign, for the successful prosecution of the Labour Party (LP) candidate in the 2023 presidential election, Peter Obi, was officially flagged off in Lagos yesterday.
The funds which will also be needed to build war chest for other credible candidates on the LP platform such as governors and lawmakers at the federal and state levels would be deployed to various nongovernmental and civil society organisations working to address the existing and potential threats of voter apathy, violence and vote rigging.
Founder and chief fundraiser of the FUND40MB Donation Campaign, Comrade Kennedy Iyere, said the campaign is globally working in collaboration with the Celebrities for Peter Obi, a support group that was convened and headed by Nollywood star, Patience Ozokwor, popularly known as Mama G.
According to Iyere, the campaign fund would drive its efforts across the globe to generate adequate operational funds for the major support groups of Peter Obi, especially Peter Obi Support Network (POSN), TakeBackNaija, Peter Obi Movement, PPGN, Women For Peter Obi, Like Minds For Peter Obi, Northern Coalition For Peter Obi, Up North Ambassadors for Obi-Datti, Peter Obi Movement Diaspora and 9JA, Docs&Medics 4 Peter Obi, Peter Obi Vanguard Ambassadors and Physically Challenged Persons For Obi-Datti.
Iyere stressed that apart from the above-outlined Obi support groups, several Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), Faith-based Organisations (FBOs), Cooperative groups and other social networks, would equally benefit from the funds so as to be able to address certain existing threats that might hinder the credibility of the electoral processes and outcomes, particularly the risks of human rights violation, electoral violence and vote-rigging among others.
“This fundraising drive will be taken from door to door, neighbourhood to neighbourhood, city to city, coast to coast and country to country, until we hit our target or goal, which is to ensure that sufficient funds are fundraised, generated and mobilized for the support groups of Peter Obi and other credible guber and parliamentary candidates across party lines, as well as for NGOs, CSOs, FBOs and other related groups pragmatically working for Nigeria’s peaceful and credible democratic transition in 2023. We do not want money to be an issue. The determination is in young people to take back their country and rescue Nigeria from the edge of the precipice.
“This is what the FUND40MB Donation Campaign is all about. An account has been created for the donation campaign designed to raise money worldwide for the various support groups of Peter Obi, so as to carry out rural sensitisation, door to door campaigns and other programmes.
“This fundraising campaign is independent of Obi and the Labour Party (LP). We are financing every interest group that will work for democracy and a democratic transition in favour of Obi and other gubernatorial and parliamentary candidates in the LP.
“The funds we raise through this medium shall be used to fight rigging, violence and all forms of malpractices. That is why the FUND40MB Donation Campaign was kick-started today,” Iyere stated.
He said that the fundraising was to confront politicians who might want to use money as strength to fight the will of God for Nigerians stressing that such a move would not work.
According to him, the step has become imperative for the survival of the nation as the youths have now risen from their sleep to take back their nation in 2023.
He lamented that political elites had weaponised poverty to remain relevant and perpetuate their continuous stay in power.
“When the youths have risen up, anything is possible. The youths are ready to take back their nation. The time for Nigeria’s political redemption is now. Nigeria has just one upward option, and that is the youth revolution. Obi is no longer for himself; he has become a global phenomenon. The 2023 election is going to be a very peculiar one with two players; the masses against the elites, and the masses must win the game.
“Nigerians and non-Nigerians would contribute for the funding of Obi campaigns because former Obi deserves assistance for his campaign to be the most celebrated,” he said.
Also, Ozowor declared that the FUND40MB Donation Campaign would generate sufficient funds to support the “Obedient Movement” in its efforts to ensure victory for Obi in the 2023 presidential election. Ozokwor appealed to Nigerians and global donors to make sacrificial and generous donations into the account, which she made public. “For the sake of our children’s future and posterity, please donate to assist this cause. This is the time to bring sane people into the political life of Nigeria. If Nigeria has got leadership right, her material resources and endowment would have made the country stand out among the comity of nations.Peter Obi must be elected Nigeria’s president in 2023, else the country may go into extinction,” she stated.
She noted that celebrities were solidly behind Obi to provide right leadership for the nation, adding that any donation for his campaign remained an investment that the Nigerian children and unborn children would later reap.
She said: “We want anybody that loves Nigeria and wants everything good for Nigeria to please donate, no matter how small. Children, youths and God want Obi. We have seen that Obi as a former governor is prudent with public funds and used the same judiciously. He has credibility. We want him to come and change and mend things in Nigeria.”
President of the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN), Ejezie Rollas, lamented that many celebrities had, for long, stood aloof and unconcerned about politics, saying these had led to many challenges facing the industry and complaints by practitioners.
Rollas, who threw his weight behind Obi’s presidential ambition, said celebrities must be interested in making the nation work well for all and sundry.
Other celebrities who graced the occasion were Klint De Drunk, John Okafor (Mr Ibu), Jerry Williams, Paul Obazele, Rita Arum, Joyce Kalu, Bishop Ime (Okon) Alex Osifo, Charles Oputa (Charley Boy), Ebere Okaro, Jerry Williams, Diamond Okechi, Steve Eboh, Ada, and other captains of industry, activists and social crusaders among others.
Klint De Drunk urged Nigerians to support the initiative and donate to the cause of bringing back Nigeria from the hands of dictators. “All we are asking is that you give your widow’s mite so that we can all enjoy again after the election in 2023. If we do the right thing now, our generation and generations after us and the ones yet unborn will benefit from our sacrifices,” he said.
In his reaction, Bishop Ime also reiterated the need for Nigerians to do the right thing by voting Obi, warning that failure to do so would take the country backwards.
The special guest of honour was the former chairman of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN), Emmanuel Ijewere, who gave a heart-warming goodwill message. The special guest was Dr T.J Eherim, who came all the way from Johannesburg, South Africa.
They all agreed that among the presidential candidates vying for election in 2023, Obi remained the best.