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Gani Fawehinmi’s Party, NCP Will Never Endorse Obasanjo’s Candidate, Peter Obi, Lagos Chapter Dismisses Tanko’s Endorsement Claim

Gani Fawehinmi’s Party, NCP Will Never Endorse Obasanjo’s Candidate, Peter Obi, Lagos Chapter Dismisses Tanko’s Endorsement Claim
January 27, 2023

The party's leadership stated that the endorsement by Yunusa had nothing to do with the party.

 

The Lagos State Chapter of the National Conscience Party (NCP) has dismissed the purported endorsement of the Labour Party presidential candidate, Mr Peter Obi for the February 25 general election.

The party in a joint statement signed by its Chairman and Acting Secretary, Fatai Ibu-Owo and Kemi Olagunju (Mrs) respectively, berated the estranged chairman, Yunusa Tanko, describing him as a "desperate prodigal whose only stock in trade is to trade with politics at the expense of principles."

The party's leadership stated unequivocally that the endorsement by Yunusa had nothing to do with the party, maintaining that if he ‘believed that NCP is his ATM and ticket for money-making, his secrets are now open to the world and he will never dodge the verdict of history’.

They described people wasting money on Yunusa's endorsement as deceiving themselves.

The statement is titled: "NCP Can Never Endorse a Peter Obi - An Obasanjo Mentee."

The party leadership said, "We have been alerted by the so-called press conference held by Yunusa Tanko, the estranged Chair of our party, the National Conscience Party (NCP) and a handful of notorious elements noted for corrupt and unprincipled stances on all issues, (rented crowd), endorsing the candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi and dragging the name of our party along.

“We want to state that Yunusa Tanko (who has actually gone AWOL from NCP affairs since 2018 and whose tenure has expired since 2020) has only displayed what is expected of a desperate prodigal whose only stock in trade is to trade with politics at the expense of principles.

"We are not in any way surprised that Tanko proceeded to organise a desperate, comical and infantile show of shame tagged endorsement of Peter Obi by NCP. This is typical of him.

"We cannot forget how Tanko subsumed a vibrant party like the NCP into the Coalition of United Political Parties, CUPP, (which we tagged Cup of Poison, then) in the 2019 Elections and sold the fortunes of the party to Atiku Abubakar and the People's Democratic Party (PDP). After eating with both mouths at the CUPP of impunity, he was disgraced out and now finds solace with this new feeders Team of PDP.

"The NCP is one of the oldest parties in Nigeria and it is on record that the party led the struggle for the opening of the democratic space in 2001-2002. It was founded and led by the late Chief Gani Fawehinmi. NCP was founded on a socialist ideology and was never a party to support anti-masses deceitful daredevils and rogues like Obi and Datti."

They alleged that Obi/Datti is the complete opposite of what their founder, the late Fawehinmi, stood for. The party leadership noted that NCP, therefore, cannot endorse Obi/Datti candidature for the forthcoming poll.

The statement partly read, "We want to state that Tanko Yunusa never convened any meeting of the party at the NCC or NEC levels. The jobman has since abandoned the party after his moving into CUPP jeopardized our membership and allowed INEC to have the effrontery to deregister NCP. Those wasting their millions on Tanko's endorsement are only deceiving themselves.

"We the real and active Vanguards of NCP want to note as follows: The purported meeting he called was supposed to be called by the national general secretary. He didn't carry the Gen Sec along because of his personal ambition. As a member of NCC, Lagos is not invited to the purported meeting likewise Ogun, Osun, and Ekiti.

"Over 95 percent of the people who attended are not NCP members. The issue of endorsement was not on the agenda of the meetings, he never involved any member especially those in Lagos state chapter.

"He adopted Obi just the way he did in the Atiku alliance in 2019. He collected money from Obi. He paid the transportation and hotel accommodations of some unknown guys masquerading as NCP members.

"We don't want him as our national chairman again. He has violated the Constitution of the party. He is now the spokesperson for Obi while still the Chairman of NCP. This is in contravention of Article 3, Subsection 3.5 of the NCP Constitution which is expressly clear on Anti-Party Activities.

 "And the Lagos Branch of NCP has since rejected Yunusa Tanko as the Chairman as his terms of office have lapsed since 2020.

"Therefore, the endorsement is not for the party but for Tanko alone. He should go and refund Obi's money. NCP is not endorsing Peter Obi. We will never endorse an enemy of the people. Gani Fawehinmi's party will never endorse Obasanjo's candidate! All decisions taken at the purported meeting are null and void."

It added, "We urge all Nigerians to know that the National Conscience Party (NCP) wants a new Nigeria that is built on socialism and is centred on an economy that cares for all and not the few billionaires.