Nollywood actors Patience Ozokwor and Mr. Ibu teamed up with the political organisation 40Million Ballots Movement on Monday to launch the “Fund40MB Donation Campaign” in support of Peter Obi, the candidate for the Labour Party (LP) presidency.
A number of Obi support groups participated in the event, which was held in Lagos.
The initiative was dubbed a youth-driven 2023 ballot revolution by the group’s convener, Mr. Kennedy Iyere.
The purpose, according to him, was to raise money to help Obi become president in reality.
Iyere stated that the fundraising was intended to keep the momentum going and to mobilise campaigns in support of Obi in the upcoming general elections.
The convener said: “We don’t want money to be an issue. The determination is in young people to take back their country and rescue Nigeria from the precipice.
“This is what Fund40MB is all about. An account has been created for the donation for campaigns to raise money worldwide for the various support groups of Peter Obi to carry out rural sensitisation, door-to-door campaigns and other programmes.
“This is independent of Peter Obi and the Labour Party. We are financing every interest group that will work for democracy and a democratic transition in favour of Peter Obi.
“The funds we are also going to raise through this medium shall be used to fight rigging, violence and all forms of malpractice. That’s why the FUND40MB Donation Campaign has been kicked started today.”
He claimed that the goal of the fundraising was to oppose politicians who might try to use their wealth as leverage in their battle against God’s ineffective purposes.
He claimed that because the youth are now emerging from their slumber to retake their country in 2023, taking this action is now essential for the survival of the country.
According to him, political elites have used poverty as a weapon to stay relevant and sustain their hold on power.
“When youths have risen up, anything is possible. The youth are ready to take back their nation. The time for Nigeria’s political redemption is now.
“Nigeria has just one upward option, and that is the youth revolution. Peter Obi is no longer himself, he has become a global phenomenon.
“2023 is going to be a very peculiar election with two players-masses against the elites, and the masses must win the game,” he said.
He claimed that both Nigerians and non-Nigerians would contribute to Obi’s campaign financing because the former governor of Anambra deserved help to have the most successful campaign.
According to actress Patience Ozokwor, Nigeria’s material resources and endowment would have made the country stand out in the comity of nations if the country’s leadership had been effective.
Ozokwor, also known as Mama G, claimed that celebrities backed Obi wholeheartedly in his efforts to give the country the leadership it needed.
Any contribution to his campaign, according to her, remained an investment that Nigerian children and unborn children would later profit from.
“We want anybody that loves Nigeria and wants everything good for Nigeria to please donate no matter how small. Children, youths and God want Obi.
“We have seen that Obi as a former governor is prudent with public funds and used same judiciously. He has credibility. We want him to come and change things and mend things.”
Ejezie Rollas, the president of the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN), also spoke on behalf of himself and not the AGN.
He claimed that many famous people had long distanced themselves from politics.
According to Rollas, this has caused the industry to face a number of difficulties and practitioners’ complaints.
He endorsed Obi’s bid for the presidency and asserted that public figures must be motivated by the idea of a prosperous country for all.
Klint De Drunk, John Okafor (Mr. Ibu), Jerry Williams, Paul Obazele, Rita Arum, Joyce Kalu, Bishop Ime, and Alex Osifo are among the other famous people who attended.
Like Minds for Peter Obi, the Peter Obi Movement, and the Peter Obi Support Network are among the Obi support organisations present.