Only a mega party can win 2011, 2019 presidential election —Okpara

Chief Perry Okpara was  the National Chairman of the National Unity Party (NUP) when he was registered in 2006 by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). He was there also when in 2001, the party was de-registered by the same electoral umpire. This was challenged in court and the appellate court restored the registration in  June 2016, but before that Peoples Mega Party was formed by Perry Opara again. He recently merged the two together and retained the name of National Unity Party. He told AYODELE ADESANMI in this interview  why he did so and how the party would form the government in 2019.

You recently launched the Peoples Mega Party (PMP) and today you have the National Unity Party(NUP) both under your chairmanship,was there problem somewhere?

The National Unity Party was registered in 2006, but Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) deregistered  the party in 2011.Then we went to court to challenge INEC, we went as far as Court of Appeal which later restored our registration. During the legal battle and waiting for the judgement, as a political animal we made efforts to register another political party. We registered Peoples  Mega Party (PMP). However on June 2, 2016 we won the case in court. We then went and met INEC chairman next line of action.

The chairman informed us that INEC is going to obey the court,and immediately the certificate was given back to us. Inasmuch as we are not interested in having two political parties, we decided to merge the old National Unity Party and the Peoples Mega Party(PMP). I was made to understand that presently about 75 political associations had filed application for registration as a political party at INEC.

Interestingly almost all of them have indicated interest to join our new party. In fact, two out of the chairmen of the political associations seeking registration have already declared for NUP. The party had already set up  the reconciliation and harmonisation committees specifically to talk to others in order for them to join us. Mega party to me means great party. That great party.

Presently in the country, there is great division as  Ibos are making efforts to move away from the entity called Nigeria under Biafra, the Yoruba also under Afenifere, in the North there is Boko Haram, therefore what the country requires mostly at this time is the unity of purpose. Nobody should move anywhere because l believe there is strength in unity, l want all of us to remain together and the only party that can unite us is our party. There is a feeling presently in,the country that no one political party could win the presidential election come 2019 because for the All Progressives Congress (APC) to defeat Peoples Democratic party(PDP) in 2015, it formed a coalition, same thing might repeat itself in 2019.

They brought together the All Nigerian Peoples Party (ANPP) All Peoples Grand Alliance( APGA) Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and Congress for Peoples Change (CPC) among others to form a strong opposition before PDP could be defeated. Today, there is no opposition party in the country as the PDP is completely in coma, the party has no national chairman presently and even no national secretariat. The only party that is existing before is the APC and now the National Unity Party. The 2019 election is around the corner and in the next 19 months, there would be serious political activities which would culminate into primaries for elective positions. The National Unity Party believes that presently there  might be government of national unity in 2019 and one of the reasons we retained the name is because the party would take part actively in the coalition that would form the government of national unity in 2019.

What gives you the impression that  the government of national unity would be formed in 2019.

The APC is not doing well at all. President Muhammadu Buhari has integrity,and credibility, but APC is a poor manager of the economy, as it seems prosperity has disappeared from the country. President Buhari among all the APC members is the only one uniting Nigeria because people see him as  a man of integrity and straight forward person.

Nigerians are suffering,hardship could be seen everywhere, workers are owed salary, no employment  for our youths, above all, the government is confused. What the government is only doing is chasing people up and down for stolen money. Nigerians have no idea of how much has been recovered and what to be done with it. Nigeria is at a standstill as nothing is moving. In view of all these, it would be very difficult, an uphill task for APC to win in 2019.

Hence they would need the assistance of another political party to survive the election. The National Unity government to me would be made up of different political parties. If you look at it  presently it is only APC that is undergoing membership registration exercise, others are not doing anything, as they have resorted to fate. The only party after the APC is the National Unity Party. This party is not Ibo party, it is national in character and structure. As the national chairman and an Ibo man, it is natural for me to make it strong in Ibo land in order to have a strong base. You can see what is happening presently, people are joining the party in power because they are looking for cover, they have stolen money and they are afraid that Buhari would come after them. But they were not aware of the character of the president that after concluding other corrupt cases at hand, he would still come back to them and cleanse the  augeans table in APC. Therefore, those of them running and  looking for cover are just wasting their time. If you have stolen any money belonging to Nigerians, Buhari would not spare you, it is better you return the money. Running for political cover is very wrong, l call these people running around bread and butter politicians.

Who are the gladiators behind the  National Unity Party that can pick the bills?

The only person behind the party is God. The party has no people who have stolen money as financier, members are the only financier, what you need doing is to register with only twenty naira. We don’t want to make use of stolen  money to deceive Nigerians to make campaign promises we cannot fulfill. This party is for everybody, journalists, artisans, teachers, market women, students among others. We don’t need so much money to win elections that is one of the reasons why PDP died.

What are the cardinal programmes of the new party

The party has only two points agenda, which is Peace and Prosperity. We want to ensure and sustain one Nigeria as it was believed by Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Dr Nnamdi Azikwe, Tawafa Balewa and others. Nigeria is blessed and endowed with so many materials and natural resources .

Therefore there is no need to be a beggar nation.

Will the party zone the presidential position among other national elective positions?

There is no zoning in our constitution, but only  have political understanding. Money would not be a determinant of who wins our primaries. This party has abolished electoral college, nothing like the delegate. If you want to be president of Nigeria, you go to Sokoto to campaign and there we would conduct primary after which you would count your votes, same thing would be Rivers State and other States. After moving round the country, we collate votes and announce the results. Whoever has the highest number of votes becomes the candidate. Nigerians don’t value free things, but to contest you only need to register with two hundred Naira. If the party wins the presidential election we must know all the ministers, who they are, their profession and capability before sending the names to the Senate for confirmation.

What is the slogan of the party

The slogan is one nation, one people one destiny. However the party in the next one week would set up an economic team to look into the present economic situation in the country and proffers solutions.This party would not merge with any other political party but we can have working arrangement. Unfortunately the PDP is dead and also what is keeping the APC together is President Buhari and minus him the party would not be in existence.

Presently APC is only existing in name. If the National Unity party wins the next election the first thing to be done is to overhaul the economic policy of the country as the economy of the country presently is not in good shape. There is no party presently that can dwarf NUP in terms of structure, organisation and stability among others as the existing one lack the capacity.

In the subsequent election in the country the National Unity Party would participate actively starting with the Anambra gubernatorial election. However as the National chairman of this party I am not going to run for any elective position but l would ensure that the party is much more visible and work for victory at the poll. We are however appealing to the people to come and join us en-mass. Since 2006 that the party was registered we could only participate in one election that was in 2007 as it was de -registered  in 2011.  In the 2007 election that we participated we only won one councillor ship seat in Rivers State.