The 40Million Ballots Movement (40MB) has debunked some media reports which insinuated that the recently launched FUND40MB was as a result of a disagreement between Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party and Prof. Pat Utomi over who controls the Labour Party’s campaign fund accounts.
Recall that the 40Million Ballots Movement (40MB) and other political pressure groups recently launched Fund40MB to raise, generate and mobilize funds to assist the campaign activities of the various support groups of Peter Obi.
The public unveiling of FUND40MB was conducted and performed by Prof Pat Utomi, a renowned political economist, notable elder statesman, national opinion molder and one of the closest and biggest allies of Peter Obi.
In a statement by the convener of 40Million Ballots Movement (40MB), Comrade Kennedy Iyere, the reports also stated that allies of Peter Obi have sidelined the National Chairman of Labour Party, Julius Abure, whom they alleged was earlier listed as one of the signatories.
“These reporters are jobless and were obviously paid to carry out this act of mischief against Peter Obi, Prof Pat Utomi and Comrade Kennedy Iyere, but unfortunately they have failed to realize that we’re too focused to be distracted from their mission, which is about Nigeria’s political rescue and redemption in 2023”, said Comrade Iyere.
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“The 40Million Ballots Movement (40MB) and its affiliated political support platforms have no collaborative status or operational relationship with the Labour Party. We had long been active in the political arena before Peter Obi joined the PDP Presidential Race. When we formed the 40Million Ballots Movement (40MB), Peter Obi was not part of our plan and the Labour Party on the other hand was comatose.
“The entrance of Peter Obi resuscitated Labour Party as a dead Party and for that reason, people like Julius Abure should be thankful to Prof Pat Utomi rather than engage in acts of media blackmail against him and the rest of us who paid the ultimate price for Peter Obi’s evolution into a political movement.
According to Comrade Iyere, neither Peter Obi nor Labour Party have input in the activities and programmes of the 40Million Ballots Movement (40MB) and its allied platforms, which include FUND40MB and others.
He further stressed that the FUND40MB was launched out of the need to help mobilize campaign funds for various credible support groups of Peter Obi, hence, the fundraising campaign which was unveiled by Prof Pat Utomi, on the 15th August, 2022. Please note that Prof Pat Utomi.
According to Comrade Iyere, the Abure-led Labour Party is not willing to adopt and absorb the various support groups of Peter Obi, thus compelling the need to devise an independent funding platform for the OBIdient Movement and its various members.
Comrade Iyere, is of the belief and conviction that Labour Party does not have the capacity to win the 2023 presidential election for Peter Obi but the support groups of Peter Obi which make up the OBIdient Movement have the capacity to win the presidential election of 2023 for Peter Obi.
He therefore buttressed the need to rely more on the support groups than on the Labour Party. This he attributed as the reason he founded FUND40MB for the purpose of fundraising globally to support and finance the activities and programmes of the various members of the OBIdient Movement.