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Fresh Political Realignment As NYDG Merges With Seun Kuti’s MOP

January 27, 2021

“We are in no way surprised about the collapse of security around the country (North and South) nor are we surprised by the increase in deadly ethnic–religious tensions in Nigeria.

After months of negotiation, the Nigerian Youths Democratic Group (NYDG) on Wednesday merged with the Movement of the People (MOP).

According to a statement jointly signed by Seun Kuti, Protem Chairperson of MOP and Kamal Adekola of the NYDG, the need for a formidable party to wrest power out of the hands of the Muhammadu Buhari-led All Progressives Congress is more urgent than ever.

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The group alleged that the APC government has failed Nigerians in all sectors.

The statement read, “It is a great day today as we formally announce the merger of the Nigerian Youths Democratic Group (NYDG) with the Movement of the People (MOP). This is after a series of discussions spanning about three months, and bordering on various ideological issues from the neo-colonial capitalist nature of Nigeria and Africa, to the question of socialist alternative to the question of building a mass revolutionary political party of the oppressed and toiling masses and youth.

“The NYDG was one of the political organisations that developed during the October days of the #EndSARS struggle and was sincerely oriented towards the problematic Nigerian Youths Democratic Party (NYDP) until they too confirmed its shortcomings and opted out, and set out to seek like minds.

“The implication of this development is that the struggle towards concretely building a revolutionary political organisation of the masses and youth capable of taking political power from the rotten hands Nigerian plundering ruling elite ganged up in the APC and Peoples Democratic Party, just got reinforced. 

“The NYDG joining the MOP alliance is another major morale booster in the struggle towards registering the MOP in the consciousness of the Nigerian masses and youth and also seeking formal registration with Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC. 

“On INEC, we have no illusions that the body is committed to the content of its name. It is now thirteen days since we wrote them to formally request for the registration requirements of a political party in Nigeria and they have yet to reply. In spite of this, we are proceeding with the tasks of meeting their requirements and we have no illusions about what their response would be, because it is clear that the Nigerian ruling class are desperate to make politics an exclusive reserve of the super-rich capitalists alone. 

“We are in no way surprised about the collapse of security around the country (North and South) nor are we surprised by the increase in deadly ethnic–religious tensions in Nigeria. These events of the past days only confirm our perspective that the Nigerian ruling capitalist elite (who are stooges of imperialism) are rotten to the bone and nothing progressive can be expected from them. Rather, they are bound to plunge the society into another insane carnage that could make the civil war in the 1960s look like child’s play, if care is not taken.

“From Katsina State to Igangan, Oyo State, to Orlu, Imo State, the scenario of insecurity and impunity crudely plays out. The responsibility of this barbarism rests solely in the heads of the Buhari – APC regime and the heads of the entire Nigerian ruling class in general.

“There is banditry in the North, as there is banditry in the South. Nigerians know that the government in power is a government of bandits not different from the past ruinous PDP. There are mass protests, actions against killings and insecurity in the North, as there are mass actions against the situation in the South too. It is now 99 days since the military massacred peaceful protesters in cold blood, and now the killing theatre has moved to Orlu. 

“Our clarion call remains for the Nigerian masses and youth to unite – South and North – against the ruling class and not to fall for the divide and rule tricks of the ruling class. The crises facing humanity in Nigeria and Africa can only be solved when a unity front of the toiling and oppressed masses and youth is achieved. There are no shortcuts! We stand against any attempt to pitch masses, bloodily, against themselves. 

“The Buhari – APC regime and Nigerian ruling class have failed to provide basic security. They are actually the invisible hands behind banditry. They have failed to develop the economy and lift people out of poverty. They have rather intensified economic attacks on the masses on all fronts. Right now, electricity tariffs are going up again, there is no serious response to the ongoing global Covid-19 pandemic, etc. Their economic mispolicies continue to create monstrous levels of poverty in the land.

“All these confirm more dangers ahead and the need to get organised. The Movement of the People (MOP) would continue to agitate on the unity of the people to defeat the forces of backwardness and barbarism the Nigerian ruling class wants to plunge the society into.”

The Movement of the People was originally formed as a political party by the late iconic singer, Fela Kuti, in 1979.

According to Fela, the party was created in order to “clean up society like a mop”. Under the party’s ticket, Fela ran for the presidency of Nigeria but his candidacy was rejected.

In November 2020, Seun revived the party in a press conference broadcast live on social media.

He said the party would stay true to its founder’s original intention.

“The idea is that we liberate the Nigerian people, they might be on this table, but I want to guarantee you that this movement will be the movement to cultivate those minds, those ideas. The pan Africanist and socialist foundation,” Kuti said.

“The movement cannot survive without the Nigerian professionals and the middle class. We have to do the work now to begin to engage those of us in society that have been completely left behind and that have been overlooked.”

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Politics