We don’t need to merge with mega party to win presidential election – NCMP
Though, the Nigeria Community Movement Party (NCMP) is a new party that will be fielding candidates for elective positions in the 2019 general elections, the Chairman, Board of Trustees of the party, Pastor Jesutowo Samuel Adekanmi, in this interview with JOKE ADENIYI-JACKSON boasted that the political party will win presidential election come 2019, just as he speaks on the agenda of building a new Nigeria. Excerpts:
As a budding political party, what are the core values and vision?
The name of our party is Nigeria Community Movement Party (NCMP). We stand for reformation, we want to build the bridge between government and the masses. We are aware that the masses are the government at least in democracy. But unfortunately, the masses are not involved in what is happening in the democratic system of Nigeria. We are also aware that the constitution has given the people power because the first page of the constitution says, “We the people of Nigeria”; that means they are the ones who formed the constitution. So, this party wants to bridge the existing gap. Then ours is a correctional party because we want to correct the misnomer in governance and ills in the society. There must be a total reform and absolute restructuring of all the corrupt and unfair system of government and governance at all levels in Nigeria. Our vision is three pronged; to reform, bride gap and correct the things that are going wrong in the society
Are you saying that the ruling party has not lived up to the expectations of Nigerians?
It is not like we don’t appreciate what has been done. Even if our party comes into power today, we can only build a nation afresh, we cannot kill history of the nation. Of course, the present administration is part of history; those in government have contributed their quota. What we are only saying is that they should give room, give chance to those who have better ideas to get Nigeria to the Promised Land. So I can’t say they have failed because they have tried their best but what we’re saying is that we have better clue as to how to take Nigeria to where it is suppose to be.
When was your party formed?
Our party has been in the embryo for over a year now. We struggled for about a year to get our certificate from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). We thank God it has finally been approved.
Do you have structures in all states of the federation?
Not all for now. However that is our plan and we are moving at jet speed. Every day we keep receiving calls from interested people who want to join our party and our membership base is increasing. The party has presence in 15 States already.
Is your party going to field a candidate for the presidential race come 2019?
Yes. In fact very soon we are going to announce our presidential candidate at our forthcoming national convention holding in Abuja, this weekend.
Will the party be considering zoning arrangement for choice of presidential candidate?
We are not going to hold primaries we are going to pick our flagbearer through consensus. However, if there is anyone who does not agree with the arrangement, then we will ask such person to contest with the consensus candidate; there will be an electoral committee, we will vote and the winner will get the party ticket for the presidential race.
Most smaller parties are into negotiation with mega parties for merger or alignment as the case may be, is your party looking towards this direction?
We don’t have that in mind. We are not afraid of our small beginnings because we know that our latter end is greater.
Can it be safe to say that your party wants to test waters with the 2019 general elections?
We are not testing the waters. If we come on trial we may not perform, as a party we are contesting to win.
If your presidential candidate emerges victorious at the polls, what would your party do differently, towards a better nation?
A whole lot. We have tried to evaluate and find a way to reform all the government institutions. We are going to restructure the book of law of Nigeria, that is the 1999 constitution, we pray that our candidates will be elected into the legislative arm of government so that they can help us pass bills to amend the 1999 constitution. NCMP, believes that without a true constitution that depicts the true nature of our national existence, we cannot excel as a nation, our constitution long due for review, and reconstruction, if we do not strengthen” our book of law” as a nation, events beyond the book will erode our system as it is already and eventually destroys what had been built for years. NCMP will by the grace of God and the help of Nigerians to build a true constitution that will lead our nation to world best status.
Part of our agenda is to formulate and strengthen government policies that will enable proper control of our natural resources. Overtime, these resources had be misused, abandoned, uncared for and almost at the stage of being destroyed. We will have a collective renewal of value systems to build secured environment for all Nigerians. We will also ensure review of our security and defense system.
Government at all levels will make the communities secured. We also believe that through a renewed good image of a nation, it can attract a lot of foreign opportunities, we already have many options of solutions to the battered image of our country. Our party will curb corruption and corrupt practices as well as stop immunity at all levels. Also, our government will rebuild the economy and ensure job creation. We will revitalise the federal civil service and embark on massive road projects and other infrastructural development. Importantly, there will be fair taxes. This is to build a sustainable economy, revenue generation, which is very key, and a government that wants to generate revenue must be responsible to her citizens, must be just fair in the distribution of all resources of the nation, must ensure and encourage fairer taxes, fairer policies for income/revenue generation. These are few of the programmes and policies that our government will embark upon towards taking our dear country to greater height.
How do you hope to fund the elections given the fact that yours is a new party?
I will not deceive you, funding has posed little challenge but we are not losing hope. The reason this is so is because we don’t want hijackers; we don’t want godfatherism. We don’t a financier that will impose things on us, thereby making us go against our agenda for a new Nigeria. We don’t want anything that can tie our hands when we eventually get to power. By the special grace of God, we have been raising fund among ourselves and we have people who believe in the party and have been contributing financially.
It is known fact that the two major parties are embroiled in crisis, in what way does your party wish to take advantage of the situation towards electoral success?
Why the parties are having crisis is because the two are same to Nigerians. Majority of members are just cross carpeting from one to the other. However, we are not out to take undue advantage of anybody or situation. What we want to tell the people that we have a system that can work through our policy. We are not coming on a platform of hatred. Like I earlier said, they are all part of history. What they see as success may not be success to Nigerians. What we want to do is to build our empire and make people believe in what we have and introduce it.
What is your advice to INEC as regards the 2019 general polls?
I will advise INEC to uphold integrity and to be an unbiased umpire. Going by what happened in the Osun and Ekiti elections, this year people are afraid. The officials of INEC should declare the minds of the people knowing that they are accountable to God over this nation especially in this electoral process. Many parties will go into oblivion but I want to assure that our party will continue to exist come rain come sun because our agenda is to get Nigeria to where it should be.
On the large number of parties, each part has its reason of coming up. I can bet some parties will merge with other big parties but we are not moved. Some parties have their own agenda but we are not afraid because I believe that it is the one that will work that will stand. Many parties will go into extinction after 2019 election because they do not have the interest of Nigerians at heart.
The electorate should go out and vote. They have the right to decide who they want but unfortunately many of Nigerians shy away from this; they do not see this as a responsibility but rather criticise government when things are not going right. Such people should be silenced because they did not seize the opportunity to decide who should be in government and so do not have the moral right to criticise. Everybody that is above 18 should be part of the electoral process. Then, what we desire is peaceful election in 2019 so people should desist from violence.