As part of an effort to support the OBIdients Movement, and the Labour Party Presidential Candidate, Peter Obi, a non-governmental organization, 40Million Ballots Movement, on Monday launched pro-Peter Obi political donor-fundraising campaign tagged FUND40MB
Founder, Centre for Values in Leadership, Prof Pat Utomi, and Convener, 40Million Ballots Movement, Comrade Kennedy Iyere among others several Nigerians in Lagos launched the political donor-fundraising campaign.
The FUND40MB, which is a PAC-driven global fundraising initiative anchored by the 40Million Ballots Movement (40MB). FUND40MB was aimed to globally generate and mobilize the sufficient funds needed to finance the grassroots recruitment and mobilization of forty million youth and women voters for the support of Peter Obi, ahead of Nigeria’s forthcoming 2023 presidential election.
Unveiling of FUND40MB, Prof Pat Utomi, who is also the Chairman of the 40Million Ballots Movement (40MB).disclosed that the desire to create a new Nigeria which will work for every citizen was the reason himself and other patriotic Nigerians were compelled to create an alternative political platform called the “third force”, whose core mandate is to drift Nigeria away from the old political order by wrestling power from the PDP and APC in 2023.
According to him, the old political order cannot be replaced unless money politics is first eradicated by citizens by directly taking upon themselves the responsibility of financing elections and democratic processes. “But for this third force to succeed, we need to find a new way of financing our democracy through the direct involvement of citizens” he said.
Explaining the rationale behind the creation of “FUND40MB Global Fundraising Campaign” he affirmed, “It’s relevance to the success of the “Third Force Movement”, which is all about Peter Obi.
In his contribution, Comrade Kennedy Iyere, Convener of the 40Million Ballots Movement (40MB), who is the Chief Fundraiser of FUND40MB and its global fundraising activities noted that the 40Million Ballots Movement (40MB) is not like most other Support Groups of Peter Obi. According to Comrade Iyere, the 40Million Ballots Movement (40MB) was created long before Peter Obi ever thought of contesting for the presidential seat.
“We would like to state at this point that the 40Milliom Ballots Movement was formed long before Peter Obi joined the 2023 Presidential Race, 40Million Ballots Movement was created through the strategic collaborations of key NGOs, CSOs and major Ethnic Nationalities, including Afenifere, Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), Middle Belt Forum (MBF), Southern and Middle Belt Leaders Forum (SMBLF), Mdzough U-Tiv, 2023 Power-Shift Movement, Youths Off The Street Initiative (YOTSI) and Igbo World Assembly (IWA) among others. 40Million Ballots Movement was initiated out of the existing necessity to compel equitable presidential power-shift to the Southeast Region in 2023 hinged on the imperative need to enforce the implementation of Rotational Presidency, which in 2023 will work in favour of the Igbos from the Southeast Region, specifically in view of the fact that the Igbos and the Southeast Region have been unjustly denied the opportunity to produce a democratically elected Nigerian president since the country’s political independence in 1960.
“As it stands today, Peter Obi is the Chief Beneficiary of the pro-Igbo presidential power-shift activism anchored by the 40Million Ballots Movement. Hence the reason he has been adopted as our consensus candidate”, he said.
He added that, the 40Million Ballots Movement is 100 percent independent and is not influenced or controlled by Peter Obi, Labour Party or their allies.
Reacting, Dr Tanko Yunusa, in his submission, who is the Chief Spokesperson to Peter Obi and the Obi-Datta Presidential Campaign Organization applauded Comrade Kennedy Iyere and the 40Million Ballots Movement for launching the FUND40MB Global Fundraising Campaign. Please also note that Dr Tanko Yunusa is one of the Founders and Top Leaders of the 40Million Ballots Movement (40MB).
Other Key speakers at the unveiling ceremony of the FUND40MB Fundraising Campaign were Funke Awolowo, first Grand Daughter of the late Sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Barrister Godwin Nwobodo, a retired Deputy Inspector-General of Police (DIG), Barrister Christian Wogu, a frontline Lawyer and Development Expert and Several Nigerian Professionals across the Diaspora.
