Red Card, Coalition for Nigeria, TeamFD: How new movements are shaping the 2019 movie

The scuffle with the Nigeria Police on Tuesday afternoon did not permit Dr Oby Ezekwesili to read the “special press statement” which, amongst other things, asked President Muhammadu Buhari not to seek re-election in 2019. By the time she came around to read it, the rebuke of Buhari would not be the issue to require her commentary.

Chief Obasanjo’s letter was much about exonerating himself and eviscerating Buhari, but it also raised huge suspicions about something certain persons had suspected: that Dr Ezekwesili’s Red Card Movement targeted against so-called old order politicians of the APC and PDP has the backing and support of some old order politicians. Obasanjo’s call for a “coalition of Nigerians” was widely interpreted as a larger umbrella (or a stronger broom) which is comprised of spokes and bristles in the form of other smaller movements.

With the onus on her to respond, the former Minister has distanced her group from the said coalition, emphasizing that there is no nexus between the proposal by Obasanjo and her “strictly citizens’ movement” focused on “independent actions”. She did, however, acknowledge that the suggestion by the former president (her former boss) for the formation of such a coalition against the APC and the PDP as “signs of the times”. Her group, she says, has triggered the first step in “retiring the dominant population of the decadent class off the pitch of politics”. As a movement against the Siamese twins, her group will have a “citizens leadership prequalification” tool by which it will determine membership, something not likely to involve a former president.

The organic interpretation from her protestations would be that there is no purposive link between the Red Card Movement and president Obasanjo’s plan for a coalition. However, Dr Ezekwesili’s name has been mentioned as part of another group – the Nigeria Intervention Movement – with a similar objective as the Red Card Movement and the coalition. The Nigeria Intervention Movement (NIM) is reported to include the likes of Donald Duke, Prof Pat Utomi, Prof Chukuwma Soludo, Wale Ajani, Isa Aremu, and pro-democracy activist and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Olisa Agbakoba.

NIM’s vision is “to create a third political force, a platform to mobilize all citizens of goodwill and conscience towards engendering a new political system and culture in Nigeria”. The group has gone as far as establishing standing committees including those of Finance, Ideology, Students and Youth, and of Diaspora Commission, with chairmen designated for each.Dr Ezekwesili is listed as an “ex-officio”. It is not yet clear if it will seek to register as a political party for the coming elections, though the aim of creating a “political force” would not necessarily require it to be registered as a party.

Consisting of far less politicians or former public servants, and more a one-man show is the ‘TeamFD’ convened by popular motivational speaker and life coach, Fela Durotoye. Mr Durotoye, in his mid-forties, has been sized up as a potential Macron-esque wildcard for 2019. Despite initially distancing himself from some campaign posters on Instagram in December, the idea of laying the groundwork for a future run has caught on. Fela has now organized an event with paraphernalia branded in his image, suggesting that something could be in the works in the medium to near future.

With about 400 days to the opening of the polls in February 2019, it would be interesting to see how these movements develop and what effects they will actually bring to bear on the behemoths of the APC and PDP.

Dr Ezekwesili has been the de facto face of civil society in Nigeria for the best part of five years. Hence, her influence with the Red Card movement should not be underestimated. The foolishness of the Nigeria Police in arresting and detaining her while on a peaceful walk with members of the Bring Back Our Girls movement on Tuesday will only serve to exacerbate the clamour against the Buhari government and his APC, which the Red Card Movement advocates.

Experience from the last general elections shows Obasanjo is not used to wasting ink. As reported by Premium Times, Obasanjo had indeed made the contents of his letter known to Buhari in private conversations but chose to go public (and nuclear) when it seemed he was not heeded. But some have cautioned that Obasanjo’s influence in 2015 must not be overestimated and that the Tinubu support which Buhari is likely to retain will serve to nullify antagonism from the former president. It was no surprise the Jagaban and Chief Bisi Akande were Buhari’s immediate visitors after the OBJ bombshell.

Commentators who lean towards the PDP (or at least definitely against the APC) regard these movements, the Red Card especially, with contempt as they see it as ultimately paving the way for the Buhari and the APC. There could be some sense in that when one considers that Prof Pat Utomi of the NIM is supposedly putting blocks together for a push against Ifeanyi Okowa under the APC’s banner.

But the Red Card Movement insists their red card is issued equally and directly against APC and the PDP. Encouraging citizens to obtain their permanent voter cards is part of its messaging with the tag ‘My PVC, My Red Card’ forming part of its logo. It has been interesting to see how much buzz has been raised in just three weeks of its existence; what lies ahead in terms of its plans, potential alliances or challenges to its operations from state authorities will be of keen interest.

The same applies for the Obasanjo coalition which reports have it now includes about seven state governors and about 100 legislators signing on in principle. However, this development is already raising doubts as to how different the coalition will be from the APC and PDP if its constituent members are already in the present system. Perhaps the NIM has an upper hand against the coalition in this regard as its members are largely outside the current political environment, and they are arguably non-members of that group which Dr Ezekwesili has referred to as the “decadent political class”.

Without the resources and more national appeal at the disposal of the other three, TeamFD has really not moved any mountains. But given Mr Durotoye’s long-standing impression on the entrepreneurial-minded young population, TeamFD, if it pushes on this election season, could yet have a substantial following capable of throwing the spanner in some works.

2019, the movie, has officially begun and we are watching to see how these movements will shape it.

One comment

  1. lI want to appreciate the efforts of Mama Oby Ezekwesili in her efforts to save our country Nigeria from the evil that is been committed by those people we entrusted with our vote, surely the RED CARD must be given to them

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