NIM to announce consensus presidential candidate in January, 2019

The six political parties which came together to form the Nigeria Intervention  Movement (NIM) Third Force say they are working towards adopting a consensus presidential candidate to be announced in January 2019.

The movement, led by the National Chairman, Olisa Agbakoba and co-Chairman, Abduljahlil Tafawa Balewa, celebrated their first anniversary last Wednesday in Abuja with a renewed vigor to forge the plans of unsettling the APC-led administration next year and also ensuring that the PDP does not clinch power.

The Movement reportedly has 7 million membership.

Olawale Okunniye, Director General of the NIM, who is also the Chairman Board of Trustees of the Peoples Trust, confirmed that six political parties have so far come together under the NIM umbrella, and that by January 2019, the parties would announce a consensus presidential candidate who will be adopted for the coming election.

He said that the political pressure group is seeking a paradigm shift in Nigerian politics and is canvassing against the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress(APC), the country’s two dominant parties which he called on Nigerians to reject.
“We would produce a candidate that would serve the interest of Nigeria and not the pockets of a few. We are talking with a number of credible political parties and our consensus candidate would be unveiled in January 2019,” Okunniye stated.
He said that members of the party would embark on rally, visiting homes and also be on the streets to convince people on their mission which is to take over the leadership of the country next year.
In his speech, the presidential candidate for the Peoples’ Trust Party, Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, regretted the present sad narrative on Nigeria, clarifying that the country’s story has not always been that of looting and stealing but that things were better in the past when credible leaders took charge.

He also said that it is disheartening that life expectancy in Nigeria is lower than that of a country like Liberia, which had suffered excruciating effects of civil war till lately.
“Why is that Nigerians always come out best all over the world, yet we have the worst indicators all over the world? He queried.
According to him, “We have democracy without democrats leading to huge poverty we have today, low life expectancy that is even lower than a country like Liberia that has suffered painful war and even the worst Ebola crisis.”

He noted that NIM was out to end a cycle of mystery and poverty imposed on Nigerians by the ruling APC.
“We need to rededicate ourselves to the Nigeria project. We need a credible alternative to Nigeria, not leadership provided by the APC or PDP who are only interested in looting our treasury.”
Also speaking at the event, Deputy Director General of NIM, Nasir Kura, said the APC and PDP were parading recycled politicians whom he said had nothing new to offer.
He said: “We don’t want recycled leaders, we don’t want people who have failed. We are tired in the way government is lead to job losses, poor infrastructure and no dividends.

Onyinye Nwachukwu, Abuja