All may not be well with the recently formed political support group, Mbah Mandate Movement, M3-Group, which formation was announced recently in Enugu.
The convener and lead speaker of the group, Comrade Kennedy Iyere from Edo State alongside Nollywood actress, Patience Ozokwor Wednesday at the inauguration of M3-Group said that it is put together to “support and defend the mandate” given to the PDP governorship candidate in the March 18, 2023 election, Peter Mbah.
But in a swift reaction, the International Solidarity for Peace and Human Rights Initiative (IS4PAHRI), and Enugu State Network of Civil Societies Organization (ENSNET) have come out to announce that they are not parties to Mbah Mandate Movement (M3-Group), and wondered why they should be impersonated. They made this known in a press statement in Enugu.
Kennedy Iyere (middle), Everest Nnaji-Odengene (R) and another at a forum Iyere was championing for Odengene as LP Enugu State Guber candidate
The CSOs in the statement jointly signed by the president comrade Osmond Ugwu and Dr Jerry Chukwuokolo, and made available to GMTNews reads in part, “The attention of International Solidarity for Peace and Human Rights Initiative- IS4PAHRI has been drawn to an attempt by some individuals masquerading in the guise and image of Civil Society to destroy the sanctity and historical5 integrity, values and unique essence of Civil Society Organisations in Enugu state and beyond at the altar of partisan politics in Enugu state.
“This ugly development manifested in the recent sponsored public show of some of people using the cloak and banner of civil society organisations in Enugu state in the name of MBAH MANDATE MOVEMENT (M3-Group), for the pursuit and promotion of political interest of the declared winner of governorship position of Enugu state during the concluded Gubernatorial election in Enugu, Mr Peter Mbah.
“We wish to state without any equivocation that everybody has rights to pursue his or her interest or support of anybody politically, socially and other wise, but in doing so, no person has a moral or legal duty to destroy or desecrate what holds, sustains, protects and advances public morality, public good, human civilization, societal ethics, values and fundamental freedoms of man, moreso when such initiative bears the name that binds the interest of so many interest groups together That is exactly what the Enugu state Network of civil society Organisations stands for when used or applied in a generic sense as it is applicable in this context.
“It is also trite to state clearly that any Non Governmental Organisation that deems it fit to delve into muddy waters of partisan politics not minding the focus of its fundamental mandate or object of its formation and without minding the colossal damage it can cause to them in the future has the right to do so without any interference from anybody, especially if the leaders of such organisation have the mandate of members of such organisation.
Comrade Osmond Ugwu, President, IS4PAHRI
“It is against the background of the foregoing that we in IS4PAHRI deem It very imperative and expedient too to issue this statement informing our members, associates, partners within and outside Nigeria, the international community and world at large that International Solidarity for Peace and Human Rights Initiative and Enugu State Network of Civil Society Organisations- ENSNET which it is a member were never part of and not privy to such politically orchestrated movement and group.
“We also speak for ENSNET and also disassociate it from such body and movement and what they stand for because as full member of the Network in Enugu state whose membership is on organisational basis, International Solidarity for Peace and Human Rights Initiative is aware that there was never such a time such matter was discussed in any forum of the network and mandate of members secured by anybody to represent the network in such a movement or group.
“Consequently, we wish to advise both actors in the civic space and civic organizations in Enugu state and beyond to stay clear from and resist the temptation of getting CSOs in Enugu state and beyond in any venture that will denigrate its integrity and wash away its relevance.
“We also wish to advise politicians to desist from plunging Civil Society Organisation into the muddy waters of partisan politics. The best any altruistic politicians can do is to support genuine programmes and projects of CSOs that are geared towards the promotion of public good as well as seek for advise from experienced practitioners in civic enterprise.
“We the practitioners in the field should always be conscious of the fact that our mission is like a calling and should be guided and led by the international best practices of civic and system engagement.
L-R: Patience Ozokwor, Kennedy Iyere from Edo State, Peter Mbah, Jim Nwobodo and Patricia Nwobodo in Kennedy’s “Obedients” Movement for Mbah
“As for our roles in the current and next dispensations in Enugu and beyond, our basic duty is to go beyond the lofty promises of political parties and their candidates of which most of them did not touch on the concrete issues bothering on the core issues of human development, democracy, rule of law and accountability- the only sure ways of enthroning authentic egalitarian, happy, productive, just, well secure, peaceful and friendly human society – the aspirations of all humanity of all ages
“As for our own part in the International Solidarity for Peace and Human Rights Initiative and Coalition of Civil Society, Workers and Human Rights Defenders, we have engaged and continue to engage the present regime on issues that touch on the above vision and mission of Civil Society as it concerns, fundamental human rights neglect and abuses, progressive decaying and neglect of social institutions, peoples’ welfare, plights of workers and retired personnel, water, sanitation and hygiene; poverty issues, unemployment and rising rate of morality, security and food production, health: education and research development, social justice, peace and social integration and other issues that bother on authentic human and infrastructural development as contained in the sustainable development goals measurable with the matrix of Human Development Index as well as imperative duties of the government to address the horrendous factors of corruption, impunity and nepotism- the major obstacles, limitations and setbacks to our holistic/integral development.
“These and related other imperative issues and factors were not captured properly in the manifestos of the political parties and candidates during campaign.They form our basic concern and preoccupation and we have strategically prepared to engage the incoming administration with.
IS4PAHRI /ENSNET
“We proffered ideas and suggestions to the present regime during our various interface with the government, but very unfortunately some were neglected and we will continue to engage governments and administrations of all arms and tiers of time and place with the issues.
“Any government and leaders that are guided by some of these concerns and have the will to respond to them objectively will be friends of man and history after tenure, but those who neglect them and are interested in massaging the interest and ego of the few elites and negates the fundamentals realties and truth of the poor and justice will have themselves to blame at last .
“There is time for all to make amends both for the Civil Society actors, political class, state and non state actors”.
It will be recalled that Kennedy Iyere, is the man alleged to have been hired and paid heavily by the Enugu State PDP led government in a failed effort to foist Captain Everest Nnaji, a.k.a Odengene, on Enugu State Labour Party as their governorship candidate, as well as attack targeted leaders and members of the LP in the state. One wonders why and how the self acclaimed lover of Enugu from Edo state loves Enugu State more than his own home state that he would after failing woefully in the paid project to destabilize LP in Enugu state, immediately switch and float a fake “Obedient” Movement with which he cunningly dragged some “hungry people” including the a former governor of old Anambra State, along in a sham endorsement of Peter Mbah as “their” preferred candidate for the governorship seat of Enugu State.
Iyere (3rd from left), Patience Ozokwor and others at the M3-Group launch
GMTNews was reliably informed by a source in top echelon of the PDP in Enugu State who would not want his name mentioned as he is not authorized to speak for them, that some members of the party including some traditional leaders have been drafted and mandated to visit prominent persons in the state to beg them to prevail on Chijioke Edeoga, Enugu State LP governorship candidate in the March 18 election in the state to withdraw his petition from the election Petitions Tribunal set up for the state.
The question on the lips of many keen observers of the 2023 elections in Enugu state, is, why is PDP frantically dissipating so much energy in making the people accept them as the winners of governorship election in the state? One would have thought that, haven been declared the winner, the party would have settled for working out ways to implement her programme for the state instead of running from pillar to post in an effort to legitimize their “winning”. GMTNews
