Newly registered Unity Party of Nigeria, UPN at its first National Executive Committee, NEC meeting, has announced that it will present candidates for all elected positions in the land, including the Presidency in 2015.
The party promised to provide free education up to university level.
In a press release by the party’s Director of Publicity, Felix Oboagwina, it said Speaking at a Press Conference in Agura Hotel, Abuja, on Saturday, the party’s National Chairman, Dr. Frederick Fasehun, denied insinuations that the party, founded originally in 1978 by the Late Chief Obafemi Awolowo, had been resuscitated to give the ruling Peoples Democratic Party and President Goodluck Jonathan a firmer foothold in the South-West in view of the 2015 elections.
The release quoted Fasehun as saying: “If we had wanted to be an appendage of PDP, we would have joined PDP without bothering to go through the hassle of forming and processing the registration of a party. We will contest every position available at the local government, state and federal level, including the Presidency.
“Of course, Nigerians cannot but recall the panic that gripped the camp of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN, now APC) when the matter of the resuscitation of UPN was first broached in April 2013. ACN chieftains, particularly the National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, went to town to accuse UPN and its Chairman, Dr. Fasehun, of colluding with PDP to threaten peace in the South-West, purportedly in return for a phantom petroleum pipeline contract allegedly worth N2.4 billion monthly. Isn’t it an irony that the purported pipeline security has not seen the light of day one year after APC’s panic-driven outbursts?”
He commended UPN members and supporters nationwide for exercising patience and courage in the face of what he referred to as “the intimidating challenge of an unduly prolonged registration exercise.”
The statement said the party began processing its registration in April 2013, with INEC publicly announcing its approval on April 17 this year.
According to Fasehun, the delay became more alarming because UPN had aspirants keen on contesting the governorship elections in Ekiti State, slated for June 2014, and Osun State, fixed for August 2014.
“We thank INEC for making us realise that the greater the battle the sweeter the victory,” he said, adding: “We know that soon and very soon, INEC will come to realise that it has done this nation immense favour by registering UPN because UPN will convince INEC and all Nigerians that this is a party of visionary, vision-driven and serious-minded Nigerians committed to building a nation that puts its people first.”
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