A group of Nigerian professionals based in the United States of America, USA, has promised to mobilize no fewer than one hundred thousand of its members to support the presidential aspiration of Mr. Peter Obi, the candidate of the Labour Party, LP, for the 2023 general elections.
The group, known as ‘Naija We Can’, said in Awka that the amount of support they intend to give would be the first of its kind in Nigeria since the commencement of the current democratic dispensation.
Mr. Conway Ekpo, a successful New York – based FinTech lawyer, who serves on the Naija We Can board, described the group as a well-focused political action committee whose aim is to look for the best for Nigeria.
Ekpo said: “Mr. Obi is the candidate electrifying young Nigerians and a powerful force ahead of Nigeria’s presidential election next February. He is energizing voters with messages of prudence and accountability that are amplified by an army of social media users.
“As part of a programme to achieve the objective, Naija We Can recently partnered with Columbia University’s Africa Business Club and Black Law Students Association to host Mr. Obi in New York for what it called a ‘Conversation on Afro Economics & Government Policy.”
According to him, the event was hosted at the Midtown Hilton in the city and had over 15.100 guests in attendance.
He added that Naija We Can, a non-profit political organization, is focused on good governance in Nigeria, adding that it seeks to empower Nigerians in the diaspora to change the country’s political and economic fortunes through campaign finance and thoughtful quality leadership.
He expressed happiness that Peter Obi has pledged to ensure that diaspora voting is permitted if he is elected Nigeria’s president in February 2023, regretting that despite genuine calls for its implementation, Nigerians in the diaspora were barred from voting.
“Naija We Can hopes that this will change if Obi and his running mate, Senator, Datti Ahmed emerge victorious in the election,” Ekpo said.
He was also delighted that Obi took to his twitter page to thank Naija We Can and the Nigerians in the diaspora who are banking their hopes of a better Nigeria by supporting the Obi/Datti ticket and encouraging 2.4 million followers to impact the desired change by visiting the Naija We Can website, where individual donations ranging from $25 contribution to$2500 or even more, can be made.
Founder of Naija We Can, Mr. Nexus Sea, who is a New York–based lawyer said with $20 billion in home remittances in 2021 alone, Nigerians in the diaspora have contributed to nearly four times the amount of foreign direct investment into the country.
“Our goal is to help convert the diaspora’s economic power to political might by ensuring that Nigerians in the diaspora have a strong voice in selecting its leaders. Next year’s elections are critical and too important for us to sit on the sidelines,” Mr. Sea said.
Another board member, Mr. Everest Njezi, who is based in Texas, encouraged people to make substantial donations so as to be part of the outcome of the elections next year.
VANGUARD
