By Sunday Ani
Leaders and allies of the National Consultative Front (NCFront), the umbrella body of Third Force Movement in Nigeria, the 40Million Ballot, as well as other key support groups of the Labour Party (LP), have rejected the party’s Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) list, released yesterday in Abuja.
The leadership of the party and close associates of its presidential candidate, Mr Peter Obi, had released a list of eminent Nigerians that would form the party’s presidential campaign council.
But, stakeholders and allies of the NCFront and Third Force Movement that adopted the LP as its third force mega party for the 2023 elections in May this year, has kicked against the list and demanded for its withdrawal.
The groups with over 20 million members condemned the PCC list for accommodating some known opportunists, infiltrators and political jobbers, who they alleged, would constitute a major liability to the party’s campaign and the 2023 rescue mission of Nigerians.
They also took exception to the list for being filled with members that are placed in wrong positions and for being heavily lopsided. This, they said, was due to lack of  consultations required for such important and sensitive exercise, lamenting that in spite of sending a robust list of leaders, zonal, state coordinators and key associates of the NCFront to both the leadership of party and campaign organisation to enrich the PCC and make it inclusive and resourceful, their inputs and efforts were jettisoned, as the final list was heavily characterised by favoritism.
The Communications Executive, NCFront, Ms Bilikis Bello, said: “NCFront leadership, stakeholders and allies demand for a complete overhauling of the demoralising and demobilising PCC list before next week, as the list in some cases, included the names of some known active members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC), as well as opportunistic elements, who are used to reaping from where they have not sown.”
Still on the list, convener of the 40Million Ballots Movement, Comrade Kennedy Iyere, said: “The leadership and stakeholders of the Third Force Movement, however, warn that failure to review and correct the PCC list by this weekend, will be followed by a major leadership and stakeholders meeting of all aggrieved allies of the third force movement to review their continued alliance with the Labour Party. Such development may lead to fresh negotiations with other like-minded political parties and allies, who will be appreciative and accommodating of their rescue agenda with full respect for the teeming members and leadership of the Third Force Movement.”