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The Citizens Popular Party
(CPP) is the recreation, re-branding and
refocusing of the erstwhile dormant Green Party
of Nigeria (GPN), registered as a political
party on 3rd December 2002.
he initiators
of this move led by new Chairman Barrister Maxi
Okwu, have been active in the field of politics
since the commencement of this republic in 1999.
In the period leading to the fresh registration
of political parties in 2002, they played an
anchor role in the inter-association meetings
that heralded the birth of the Conference of
Nigerian Political Parties.
The charade
called 2003 general elections brought home to
bear the anti-democratic predilections of the
PDP administration of President Olusegun
Obasanjo. It may be useful to recall that every
attempt was made to constrict the democratic
space by doctoring the Electoral Act 2002 after
passage by the National Assembly.
By the
time the much delayed 2004 local government
elections were conducted, it became clear to
even the doubting Thomas’s that the ballot
option had been effectively sealed. What then to
do? Surrender and or join the winners? They
opted to do something positive beyond the
sustained proactive opposition since May 2003,
via media statements, Mass Action of May 2004,
and civil litigation.
The promoters of
the CPP came to the cold realization that while
these methods may serve as a stopgap, they had
limited impact on our politics and did not quite
permeate the grass roots. To compound the
problem the more established parties like the
ANPP and AD for one reason or another did not
provided the alternative platform that could
have acted as a check on the PDP.
In
re-branding the GPN they have transformed it
from a single-issue party concerned with just
the environment and habitat to multi-issue of
all aspects of governance. The CPP just like the
GPN of old is still committed to environmental
issues hence the all green flag. The new
logo/symbol of the party, which is a right hand
on the acronym CPP, depicts solidarity, service
and transparency on one hand. On another, it
means stop the rot, bad governance and change.
The slogan of the party is
CPP-PROGRESS.
The political leaning of
CPP is decidedly left of center with a populist
approach to governance. The CPP in government
would concentrate on the people; education and
healthcare delivery taking major chunks of
budgetary provisions. In total observance of the
constitutional injunctions of section 14 make
their security and welfare its pivot. While
allowing a private sector driven economy, ensure
social justice by instituting mechanisms that
would rescue the victims of the play of market
forces.
In the CPP there is a healthy mix
of pro-democracy activists and political
operatives schooled in the clock and dagger of
political skullduggery. The founder of the Green
party Olisa Agbakoba (SAN) is one of the leading
lights of CSO activism. Maxi Okwu current Chair
of CPP has staked out his claim to national
relevance with his activism in the Conference of
Parties and Nigerians United for Democracy (NUD)
as Secretary-General. Further he has garnered a
lot of experience in having served in many
capacities in political parties the last being
Deputy National Chairman (South)
(APGA).
There are many others of
substance who are at the helm of affairs in the
new look national executive committee viz; Dr
Hassan Bello National Secretary, Mazi Larry
Nwosu Deputy National Chairman South, Dr. Mrs.
Mercy Mere National Vice Chairperson southeast,
Hajia Hauwa Mohammed National Women Leader, Ms
Christie Laraba Maxwell National Vice
Chairperson North Central, Pastor Isreal Oniobo
National Vice Chairman South South, Dr. Mrs.
Tina Adike Vice Chairperson Board of Trustees
(BOT)- the party is very gender sensitive,
Comrade Joe Orokoyo Asst National Organizing
Secretary South West, Mallam Murtala Aliyu
National Organising secretary, Chief H.O. Obot
National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Abiola
Oyetoro National Vice Chairman South West, Chief
F.A. Ifawi National Treasurer, and Chief Mrs.
Celestina Abosede Adeleye National Deputy Women
Leader.
It is axiomatic that the
existence of a minimum of two contending
alternative political platforms is sine-qua-non
in any genuine multi-party democracy. A contest
between one giant and twenty-nine Lilliputians
is already pre- determined, save if the
Lilliputs could band themselves together. In the
light of the experience of the facilitators a
more formidable and robust platform that could
effectively challenge the PDP behemoth would
require a much more radical approach. The raison
de etre of the CPP is to facilitate this
alternative.
As hub party in the
political parties alliance (PPA), the CPP is
already on the way to the realization of this
objective. It is envisaged that the PPA would
partner with Civil Society Organisations and the
Labour movement in creating a grand national
rainbow coalition that would wrestle power from
the strangle hold of the PDP.
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