One of the presidential aspirants who is yet to identify with any political party, Omodele Sowore, has rejected the merger 39 political parties and movements led by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Reformed – All Progressives Congress (R-APC) that led to the formation of a Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) to wrest power from the Buhari-led APC in 2019.
Sowore contended that from the outset, his group, the TakeItBack Movement has made it clear that what the members seek is a complete transformation of the Nigerian political process. “The solution to Nigeria’s problems cannot be found with the same parties and persons who created and contributed to those challenges in the first place,” he said.
He pointed out that the PDP and APC (or the R-APC) are two sides of the same bad coin. For almost two decades, these two parties have been responsible for unbridled corruption and rapacious damage to Nigeria’s economy and her moral fabric, Sowore stated; insisting that, “the solution to Nigeria’s challenges cannot be found with any of these parties, or in any coalition of the desperate, that they put together.”
A statement from his Campaign office declared: “The TakeitBack Movement and our Convener, Omoyele Sowore, cannot and will never be part of any coalition that includes these corrupt and morally bankrupt parties. We are NOT so desperate to win that we would sacrifice our integrity, or the trust of the Nigerian people.”
It was further argued: “The path of honour and integrity is a long, arduous and sometimes lonely one. We believe there are no short cuts to progress. We are committed to towing the path of honour – however lonely and challenging that path might be. We are convinced that the Nigerian people are not seeking to replace one set of thieves with another set of recycled rogues in 2019. “
Sowore insisted that, “the TakeitBack movement remains committed to working with progressive, people-oriented parties that are dedicated to the transformation and the progress of the Nigerian nation.”
He disclosed that at the end of July, the Movement would be announcing the political party that the TakeitBack Movement will be using as a platform for the 2019 elections, as well as the members of their coalition of progressive parties and organisations.
“We urge Nigerians to remain vigilant. Nigeria MUST progress,” the statement declared.