According to a communiqué issued by the movement, the new leadership of the Southwest emerged during the general assembly of Third Force leaders held in Ibadan on February 24, 2022.

In his address at the occasion, the National Secretary of NCFront and Convener of the Third Force Movement of Nigeria, Mr. Olawale Okunniyi, described the NCFront as a movement of leaders of conscience birthed to rescue the country from pervasive misrule and unprecedented impunity in politics, which he said had cast gloom on the future of Nigeria.

Okunniyi explained that the movement was yet to adopt a political party because of the need to absorb and accommodate more interested political movements, stakeholders and allies.

He, however, commended the leadership of the Nigerian Labour Movement for giving impetus to the group’s initiative to rescue Nigeria.

He assured that leaders of the Third Force Movement shall be part of political conference organised by the Nigeria Labour Congress slated to hold in Abuja in March.

He also reassured that the country would witness the birth of the movement soon as plans had been perfected to launch a mega party by the first week of March.

According to him, the political parties being considered for adoption and platform for fusion of all other partners and stakeholders towards the formation of the mega party were People’s Redemption Party, PRP; African Democratic Congress, ADC; National Rescue Movement, NRM, and Zenith Labour Party, ZLP.

He implored leaders and delegates from the six states of Southwest in attendance to try to mobilise more youths and women into the fold saying that the movement was about the youths and the vulnerable.

He said those to run the affairs of the structure of the movement in the South West are Mr Lanre Adenuga from Lagos State (Chairman), Engr Jagun Abiodun from Ogun State (Vice Chairman), Lanre Fadahunsi from Osun State (Secretary) and Mr Olusola Ayodele from Oyo State (Treasurer).

Others elected by the zonal congress include Barr Thompson Akinyemi, Esq from Ondo (Publicity Secretary), Wasiu Olanrewaju from Osun State (Youth Leader), Prince Adesina Bashorun from Ogun State (Ex Officio Zonal Leader) and Barr Ademola Okeya, Esq from Ekiti (Legal Adviser).

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The groups, in a joint condolence statement issued by the spokesperson, Mr. Olawale Okunniyi, expressed shock and regret over the exit of Mohammed Fawehinmi.

The groups said Nigeria and the human race had lost a man who was a terror to the oppressors of the masses.

The groups said Mohammed was an icon and a selfless defender of people’s rights throughout his adult life as he was always challenging the excesses of government and the ruling class.

They asserted that the Nigerian civil society had lost an emerging giant in the current rescue mission of leaders of conscience and fresh breed leaders ahead of its planned 2023 intervention.

Mohammed was said to be one of the leaders of conscience, who initiated the NCFront in 2019 at MKO Abiola’s residence in company of Prof Pat Utomi, Dr Oby Ezekwesili, Senator Shehu Sanni,  Comrade Isa Arẹmu, Alhaji Shettimah Yerima, Prof Anthony Kila, among others during an event organised by the June 12 Democracy Movement to chart the way forward to save Nigeria.

The groups said they would “immediately list the fiery activist  in the Hall of Fame of June 12 Democracy Movement, as he shall henceforth be remembered annually on every Democracy Day in Nigeria as one of the greatest heroes of the people, who struggled for the restoration of civil rule and democracy in Nigeria.”

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Oniga died at the age of 64 after a brief illness.

NIM described Oniga as one of its national ambassadors.

In a statement issued by its Director General, Mr. Olawale Okunniyi, the group said Oniga as a member of its leadership helped to promote the ideals and values of the group tremendously.

She was said to be the voice of Nollywood at the inaugural meeting of the movement in 2017.

She was said to be a very committed ambassador of the movement agenda to take back power to the masses of Nigeria and she was involved in the movement accords in some states of the federation and at the national level.

“Lady Racheal Oniga, a title chief of Ile Ife, installed by Oba Sijuwade Olubuse, lived and died as a voice of the voiceless.

“Our consolation in her exit, is drawn from a life well spent by the screen goddess and ambassador of the voiceless. We therefore pray for the repose of her soul and fortitude to bear this huge loss by her children and family members. We hope to explore a way of immortalising her legacies in succeeding days. Racheal Oniga lives on,” said the group.

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NCFront also frowned at the alleged misplaced preference of the ruling powers for continuous circle of elections into political offices instead of first forging political consensus for the country.

The position of the group was made known on Saturday by its chieftain, Mr. Olawale Okunniyi, while reacting to the apathy that characterized the local government election held in Lagos and Ogun State.

He said the group lamented that continuous circle of elections in the country without popular constitutional consensus of the diverse peoples of Nigeria, vital for Nigeria’s progress and prosperity, was a clear exercise in futility.

He said NCFront considered it a time bomb threatening the corporate existence of Nigeria, and must be urgently detonated by Nigerians before it was too late.

He said it was for that reason that the leadership of the group set up a 60 Member Constitutional Dialogue Advisory Committee, being led by Olisa Agbakoba SAN, Dr Usman Bugaje, Dr Tokunbo Awolowo Dosunmu, Chief Mike Ozekhome and Dr Hakeem Baba Ahmed, who heads the Conference Secretariat to facilitate a pan Nigerian political dialogue.

He said the negotiations were to birth an agreed people’s constitution for Nigeria through the process of constituents’ assembly and referendum, “an Intervention  very much expected to stem the tide of tribal and religious conflicts as well as growing insecurity, anarchy and tension in Nigeria.”

Okunniyi said: “NCFront has however decided to rally all well-meaning Nigerians and political gladiators across political divide and party lines to put a stop to the dangerous circle of “elections to perdition” foisted by a powerful cartel of the Nigerian political class, who have taken liberty to run roughshod on the peoples of Nigeria having taken away the sovereign power of Nigerians over the country and the constitution and handed it over to their agents and  proteges in the National Assembly through section 8 and 9 of the 1999 military imposed constitution, which erroneously ceded the sovereign power over the Nigerian constitution to the National Assembly.”

The NCFront however warned that the country might never attain the required unity and stability, if the National Assembly did not quickly invoke its powers under section 4 of the 1999 military constitution to make law for the good governance of the country.

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In a statement signed by its chieftain, Wale Okunniyi, the group said the attack was “wrong headed, reckless and uncalled, as experiences around the world have shown that it’s capable of foisting unintended civilian guerilla actions against the Nigerian State given the unprovoked ruthless use of naked force and bestiality to drive unarmed agitation underground.”

The NCFront said it perceived the attack which led to the death of two people as reckless abuse of power and violation of Sunday Igboho’s privacy and fundamental human rights.

The group said it also wished to warn the government to immediately desist from running Nigeria as a police state having allowed the country to slip into “a criminal enterprise at the brink of total collapse and civil war.”

“Therefore, we demand the fair and careful handling of the matter and trial of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, the IPOB Leader, especially the respect of his fundamental human rights while in the custody of the Nigerian government.

“Finally, we wish to task the Nigerian Federal Government to immediately put machinery in place to restore national understanding, cohesion, harmony, stability, peace and prosperity by urgently convening a national justice and reconciliation meeting of key stakeholders of the diverse strata and facets of the country.

“The Buhari government should however note that nothing could restore peace and stability to the country as much as the official embrace of a people’s constituents’ assembly and referendum to decide how Nigerians want to democratically coexist and run their political affairs constitutionally as the ongoing constitution amendments by the National Assembly can barely save the country from pervasive insecurity and anarchy rocking its foundation,” the group said.

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Odumakin died Saturday morning in Lagos as a result of complications that arose from COVID-19.

The announcement of the days of mourning was by the convener of the group, Mr. Olawale Okunniyi in a statement made available to FrontPage.

He described Odumakin as “one the fiercest and most prolific comrades of the pro-democracy movement in Nigeria, who spent most of his adult life fighting the cause of a just and equitable Nigeria.”

He said Odumakin deserved to be immortalised by the pro-democracy movement.

In the statement signed by Obafemi Olubori, the movement quoted Okunniyi as saying: “Odumakin and others in the National Conscience Party, NCP led by Chief Gani Fawehinmi of blessed memory teamed up with the Campaign for Democracy, CD led by Dr Beko Ransome Kuti in the 90s to flush military rule out of power. As fate would have it he met his heartthrob and greatest supporter, Joe Okei in the course of that struggle, which led to the restoration of the present Democratic rule in Nigeria.

“Yinka and his wife, Joe Okei Odumakin, were also pioneer founders of the June 12 Stakeholders Group, which later metamorphosed into the June 12 Coalition and later June 12 Pro-Democracy Movement of Nigeria. So he has paid his dues for Nigeria and deserves to be mourned and immortalized by the Pro Democracy Movement of Nigeria.”

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NCFront said it had already set up a national consensus committee to immediately work out inclusive agreements among key leaders of thought and eminent political icons in the country on how to convoke an independent citizens’ driven pan Nigerian constitutional conference of ethnic nationalities, indigenous peoples and various civil society interests.

According to NCFront, the move was to prevent an impeding civil war in the country.

The group said its intervention became unavoidable as it had become crystal clear to all Nigerian stakeholders and “that the present governments in Nigeria have become helpless, incapacitated and have lost initiative in dealing with the looming anarchy in the country.”

It said ethnic violence, civil and religious strife in the country had grown from worse to worst ever in the annals of Nigeria.

The group, according to its national secretary, Mr. Olawale Okunniyi, said the “national rescue committee” would be coordinated by Dr Olisa Agbakoba, SAN, Dr Hakeem Baba Ahmed, among others.

Said the group:  “The committee, which is expected to send out invitations to all ethnic nationalities, indigenous peoples and various civil society  platforms for registration and participation in the People’s National Conference by March 2021, shall be expected to first consult with some selected eminent Statesmen, leaders of thought and State Governors like Prof Wole Soyinka, Dr Ahmed Joda, Prof Ben Nwabueze, SAN, Commodore Dan Suleiman, Chief Edwin Clark, Prof Ango Abdullahi, Chief Olu Falae and Governors, Samuel Otorm of Benue, Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto, Nyeson Wike of Rivers, Babagana Zulum of Borno, Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti, Godwin Obaseki of Edo, Seyi Makinde of Oyo States, among others before the People’s National Conference is convoked.

“This people driven constitutional dialogue of the NCFront shall be expected to produce a draft People’s constitution for Nigeria by 1st October, 2022 and shall be expected to serve as the constitutional template upon which the next elections in Nigeria shall be conducted.

“However, some of the constitutional working documents already listed to guide the proposed national constitutional consultation include; the1963 constitution, the 1979 Constitution, the 1989 constitution, the 1995 constitution, the reports and draft constitutions of the constitutional conferences under Presidents Obasanjo and Jonathan in 2005 and 2014 respectively as well as the proposed Peoples’ Constitution produced by PRONACO Peoples’ National Conference chaired by Chief Anthony Enahoro of blessed memory.”

The group added that its leadership also reaffirmed that its final national consultative retreat, where the emergent mega political movement of the group shall be launched had now been scheduled to hold between March 29 and 31, 2021.

“A suitable venue for this broad National Retreat of National Leaders of Conscience aimed at rescuing and saving Nigeria shall be announced in the first week of March, 2021,” the group said.

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Okunniyi, in a statement issued on Sunday, added that Martins-Kuye’s death was a colossal loss to the political class in Nigeria.

His words: “This is a most unexpected and painful exit of our father, confidant and mentor, who was the Aare Musulumi of Ogun State, Asiwaju of Ago Iwoye, a former distinguished Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the first  Governorship Candidate of PDP in Ogun State and a two time Minister of Nigeria. This is indeed a huge loss to the entire country, Nigeria, Ogun State and Ijebuland in particular.”

He said the former minister would be sorely missed by his family members and the entire political class in Nigeria as he was a great political bridge builder throughout his political career.

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My apprehension about the future of Nigeria flows from the fact of the expiration of its Amalgamation Treaty, which brought into existence the country called Nigeria. This expiration in my thoughts has grave legal, moral and spiritual implications and effects on the corporate existence of Nigeria, especially with the hightenning political tension and distrust, murderous ethnic and religious clashes, general instability and disunity as well as mutual destruction and sabotage prevalent in the country!

For the avoidance of doubt, the Nigeria Amalgamation Treaty was sealed between Colonial Britain, through its authority vested in the Federick Luggard colonial Junta and the Leaders of the original indigenous Peoples of Nigeria on 1st of January, 1914, as a legal instrument for unifying, as one single entity, all the Component Units and Peoples within the territory now known as Nigeria.

However, its expiration on 1st January, 2014, is hinged on the 100 years tenure of Nigeria’s Amalgamation Treaty sighted by us, as well as other similar treaties around the world, which conventionally run for a maximum tenure of 100 years, thereby foisting legal, moral and spiritual burdens and effects on the continued existence of Nigeria. To the extent that, every unit and component of Nigeria, as things stand today, presently has the legitimate right to seek their own self determination, peace and well being separately, either in terms of autonomy or secession or even to remain within the present Nigerian Contraption, if they choose and this is permitted by the UN Convention on the rights of the indigenous Peoples of 2007 as we can no longer pretend that Nigeria as a corporate legal entity has expired since 2014 and therefore requires a peoples’ covenant to remake or dissolve the Union

Therefore, the only remedy that can be applied now, which, in my humble opinion, should have been undertaken before the unfortunate expiration, at least to guide the democratic future of Nigeria into some sort of cohesion, is for the Nigerian Government and its federating units and Peoples to agree urgently, through a national consultative and reconciliatory procedure and mechanism; (which can be spelt out in details when required), to bring about a popular national democratic resolution and proclamation of the Nigerian Peoples and federating units on the legal status and preferred governance structure for Nigeria, which must be adopted by a popularly convened Constituents Assembly of the indigenous Peoples and federating units of Nigeria; an assembly, which, in other words is regarded as an indirect Referendum of the peoples and Citizens of Nigeria towards reaffirming the legitimacy and legality of the Nigerian Union for Political cohesion and stability.

I think the Nigerian State is simply sitting on a keg of gun powder by merely exploiting the patience or ignorance of the indigenous Peoples and Citizens of Nigeria for not being proactive towards asserting their rights to self determination and taking their destinies in their hands based on the clear grounds highlighted above

It is also my well reasoned view that with a military decree No 24 of 1999 erroneously subsisting as the current Constitution of Nigeria, notwithstanding its successive panel beatings tagged amendments since 1999, the country’s unity has been, all along, fragilely toyed with and essentially sustained by sheer force of the Nigerian State and Government and not by any verifiable popular and legitimate wish of the peoples and Citizens of Nigeria, who are the ultimate Sovereigns over the country, since a military decree can never conventionally suffice as a Constitution but will ever remain a mere law of Government, but sadly in this case of a junta because there’s a clear difference between a law and a Constitution; especially a People’s Constitution that can only be given to the country by the Citizens and Peoples of Nigeria through a Constituents Assembly or/and Direct Referendum and not by Government/National Assembly as it is common with every democratic legitimate Constitution in any society.

Furthermore, to make the matter worse, participation of the Nigerian Peoples and Citizens in successive elections can also not be deemed popular enough to continue to carry and sustain the legitimate and legal existence of the Nigerian State as less than 40%, precisely 34.75 percent, of Nigerians of Voting Age participate in our Presidential Elections as at 2019, thereby rendering the present Nigerian Contraption illegitimate.

Finally, in the light of the above, I think the Nigerian State is simply sitting on a keg of gun powder by merely exploiting the patience or ignorance of the indigenous Peoples and Citizens of Nigeria for not being proactive towards asserting their rights to self determination and taking their destinies in their hands based on the clear grounds highlighted above.

Therefore, before the bubble bursts and as a final Intervention on Project Nigeria and its national democratic question, I strongly recommend that an urgent formidable step, in line with the proposals above, be taken to douse and neutralize the heightening Political tension and Bloodletting in the Country, arising from perceived Political lopsided and marginalisation as well as murderous ethnic and religious distrust and clashes prevalent in Nigeria; under which no productive governance and prosperous economic can ever take place no matter who is on the saddle. For “if the foundation be faulty, what can the righteous do?”

*Olawale Okunniyi is Secretary-General, Project Nigeria Movement

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The plan was disclosed by Olawale Okunniyi on behalf of some pro-democracy groups – National Conference Organization, PRONACO; Project Nigeria Movement, PMN; Third Force Movement of Nigeria, and Alliance for Defence of Democracy, ADD.

“Democratic Forces in the country are already consulting on how best to celebrate and immortalize the resourceful life and struggles of Dr. Arthur Nwankwo, who departed at a time the Nigerian Democratic Movement is planning to initiate a major Pan Nigerian National Political Summit to intervene in the current insecurity and instability in Nigeria,” Okunniyi said in the statement.

The groups described as shocking, the death of Nwankwo.

The statement reads:

The Nigerian Democratic Movement has lost one of the surviving Icons and Veterans of its struggle against military rule and for the restoration of the current fledgling Democracy of Nigeria, Dr Arthur Agwucha Nwankwo, former Vice Chairman of National Democratic Coalition (NADECO) and Chancellor of the Eastern Mandate Union, EMU at the prime age of 78

Dr Arthur Nwankwo, a revolutionary political economist and activist was a prolific author and resourceful publisher during his life time, who crusaded against social injustice of all sorts in Nigeria.

The demise of Arthur Nwankwo, a pan Nigerianist, who was one of the initiators and leaders of the Nigerian Third Force Movement in his last days on earth surface, was received as a rude shock by Leaders of Nigeria’s Democratic Movement.

He gave up the ghost at about 2 p.m. on Saturday, 1st February, 2020 at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH), Ituku-Ozalla, Enugu after a brief illness

The founder of the famous Forth Dimension Printing Press made valuable contributions towards Nigeria’s Political stability and progress with his numerous intellectual and advocacy works such as; The Making of a Nation: Biafra -1969, Nigeria: The Stolen Billions – 1999, Nigeria: The Challenge of Biafra- 1972, Nigeria: The Political Transition and the Future of Democracy- 1993,The Igbo nation and the Nigerian state- 1999, The Igbo leadership and the future of Nigeria- 1985, among others.

The founder and chancellor of Eastern Mandate Union (EMU), a platform, which advanced the rights of the people of the former Eastern Region has all along been a source of inspiration to the democratic forces, which he substantially served under NADECO led by Chief Anthony Enahoro of blessed memory, whom he assisted as Vice Chairman throughout the struggle for the restoration of Nigeria’s current democracy.

Earlier in his Political sojourn; in the second republic, Nwankwo had teamed up with late Mallam Aminu Kano as active member of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), a mass based progressive Party on which he contested for the governorship of the old Anambra State.

It will be recalled that Arthur Nwankwo was arrested and detained with five other NADECO Cadres by the former maximum ruler of Nigeria, Gen Sanni Abacha, who eventually died on the day he was to meet and pronounce judgement on Arthur Nwankwo and others in Abuja.

Arthur Nwankwo however became a strong advocate for Handshake Across the Niger aimed at bringing the South West and the East together Politically for the purpose of achieving the democratic constitutional restructuring of Nigeria towards economic Prosperity and Peace of the Nigerian Peoples. He is therefore noted for his popular quote which he reteirated at the last two National Political Summits he attended in Port Harcourt, 2011 and Uyo, 2013 is “Get the Politics of a country right, you will get its economy right.”

In the meantime, Democratic Forces in the country are already consulting on how best to celebrate and immortalise the resourceful life and struggles of Dr Arthur Nwankwo, who departed at a time the Nigerian Democratic Movement is planning to initiate a major Pan Nigerian National Political Summit to intervene in the current insecurity and instability in Nigeria.

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