ANRP Committed to Its Founding Vision and Principles

ABUJA, 1 March 2022 — The Abundant Nigeria Renewal Party (ANRP) is a coming together of public-spirited, patriotic Nigerians transcending age, class, status, religion, ethnicity, regionalism, and the other divides, united as a collective citizens’ action to pioneer a renewal and renaissance in the Nigerian society.

As of the time of its founding, this coming together of like minds across Nigeria and the Nigerian Diaspora, in December 2016, the professional politicians (whom we refer to in the party as ‘the old guard’) were yet again mooting the idea of forming yet another party after selling Nigerians a dummy in 2015 and the embarrassment that is APC and the current regime.

Most of those who heeded the clarion call — professionals, business people, students, retirees, etc — had never been part of a political party before nor participated in politics beyond voting in elections. However, at this time it was critical to go beyond voting recycled politicians on compromised political party platforms, to forming an untainted political party, built on principles and ethos beyond what is written down on paper (a combination of which we refer to in the Party as ‘the ANRP DNA’).

During the short period that the party participated in the Nigerian political landscape, ANRP modelled and pioneered how a proper political party is run through innovative approaches and transparent processes.

By the time the election management body, INEC, finally bowed to logical and legal pressure and registered the party in December 2017, the calendar for the 2019 election was already out. Within the available time, we were able to have active ANRP branches in virtually all the 36 states and the FCT, and in all local government areas in many of those states.

Most of the states had functional secretariats, aside from the party headquarters in Abuja and all were financed through crowdfunding, by committed members who gave freely to finance what this vision they believed in.

In 2019, we were unable to win any office in the general election for which the election management body unlawfully deregistered the party, without due process and fair hearing, a matter now being contested at the Court of Appeal in Abuja.

Despite these challenges, the party remains optimistic that in the end justice will be served and we shall once again continue our journey to build back our party from where we left off, the momentum having slowed down as a result of the present situation.

The party secretariat has recently been inundated with enquiries from well meaning members who have become aware of an article published by the party chairman, Dr Tope Fasua, in which he expressed public support for the candidature of a leader of the APC, declaring him a person worth voting for. Party members continue to remind the secretariat that this APC leader is an example of the persons the party has consistently considered as members of the old guard and whose political contributions alongside his generation politicians, has left the nation in the sorry state it now is. Party members continue to remind the secretariat that ANRP as promoted and founded by Dr Fasua and other well-meaning Nigerians was actually birthed to confront the rife misgovernance sponsored by such politicians of the old guard, and therefore found it confusing for a leader of the party to have made such a declaration.

It is critical to state emphatically, without equivocation and for the record that the unfortunate position expressed in that article is not that of the party but the personal opinion of Dr Tope Fasua, and should not be associated with the party itself. Individuals may make their choices, but the party ethos and commitment remains same from generation to generation.

The party also notes, considering that it is unlikely to participate in the 2023 general election, that its members may, of necessity, have to pitch tents with other political parties including those of the old guard, for pragmatic purposes. While this situation is not our best desire, it is the reality that we presently face.

The party therefore wishes all our members well in their personal decisions and urge them to always remember whose they are, and the DNA that they carry. They are to take our renewal mandate and the ANRP DNA of which we are so proud, even to the darkest of places, and demonstrate the marked difference that ANRP is known for. They are to remember how many times we told ourselves as a party that we were not designed for one election cycle, and that we would be here to midwife the new Nigeria which we all dreamed and desired for.

We will continue the legal battle to restore our licence and when this is done, it is our hope that these avowed patriots who wish may return, will always have an assured place at home. Those who might wish to stay elsewhere shall remain part of our wider family on exile, but part of the family all the same.

ANRP! Abundant Nigeria.
Abundant Nigeria! THIS IS OUR OWN.

Signed:

Eberechukwu Perez Okonkwo FCIS
National Secretary

Sesugh Akume
National Spokesman