Open letter to Comrade Omoyele Sowore and the African Action Congress (AAC): A Call for a United Left Electoral Front for 2027 and Beyond
Fraternal Greetings to you and members of the African Action Congress (AAC).
We of the Democratic Socialist Movement (DSM) write you this open letter in respect of the 2027 general elections and the need for an organised, principled united electoral platform of the left in Nigeria.
Ahead of the 2027 elections there is no mass party, especially with socialist program, that represents the interests and aspiration of working people, the poor and the oppressed, and is capable of wresting political power from the thieving ruling elite.
Yet, the working people and the poor need a party that stands for them in the 2027 elections and beyond. This is especially important given the current monumental attacks on living standards and the extremely unlikely possibility of any significant improvement so long as the present capitalist system continues. Worse still, the various capitalist politicians have continued to recycle and rearrange themselves either as ruling parties or opposition. This has allowed them to continue to implement same anti-poor capitalist policies, while embarking on monumental looting, sustained with renewed attacks on human and democratic rights of citizens.
On the other hand, the left movement has not yet been able to forge a formidable political alliance to challenge this recycling or at least provide a pan-national alternative electorally. While various left groups/groupings might have made some impacts or progress at some point, a united left platform to widen and sustain this is clearly absent. The DSM has, along with other pro-working class activists and socialists, formed the Socialist Party of Nigeria (SPN), which we supported when it contested the local elections in 2018 and the 2019 general elections. Unfortunately, the party has been undemocratically deregistered by the INEC in the interest of big capitalist political parties. Our calls then for a united left electoral platform involving trade unions and left parties and organizations did not materialise. Then, each left political formation and group participated individually in the 2019 and 2023 elections.
We of the DSM are of the opinion that there is much to gain in a united left platform, if pursued with principle, mutual regard for organizational differences, and more importantly unity of purpose: to provide a left alternative to the capitalist political class both in the elections and afterwards.
It is on this basis that we call for a conference of left parties, left and socialist organisations, left coalitions, trade unions and change-seeking individuals and groups to discuss and agree how to build a united left electoral front that can put forward a strong pro-working people alternative in the 2027 elections and beyond.
We of the Democratic Socialist Movement (DSM) are of the view that the AAC, which is the only left and pro-masses party with an official registration and recognition, in other words the only left party that can be on the ballot, is in the best position to convene such a conference. We recall that Comrade Omoyele Sowore, the AAC leader, during a television interview last year already expressed support for building such a united front or coalition to engage the 2027 elections. It should also be recalled that the DSM gave a critical support to Sowore as the Presidential Candidate of AAC in the 2023 election. This shows the possibility of electoral collaboration among the left organizations.
Therefore, we urge the AAC leadership to initiate in the shortest possible time the convening of such conference aimed at building a genuine political alternative ahead of the 2027 election and beyond. As a first step, we propose that a small meeting of the leaderships of identified left parties and organisations as well as trade unions should be called to discuss modalities for the conference.
To be clear, for us the coalition that may emerge from such a conference should show that it is seriously contesting the elections. But it is more important to use the elections to put forward and popularise, as the minimum, a pro-working people economic alternative to the ruinous neo-liberal capitalist program and policies. Also importantly, mass support must be mobilized for the alternative through electoral campaigns and different struggles against anti-poor policies and attacks on democratic right before and after 2027 elections. At such conference, we of the DSM will canvass for a clear-cut socialist program as the alternative to be put forward by the coalition.
If it comes to fruition, such left front will at least minimize the negative impact of the absence of a mass party of the working people, with millions of workers, youth and the poor as members, and with direct affiliations to the trade unions. Such a party, which the DSM has been campaigning and advocating for, could readily contend for political power against the mainstream capitalist political parties.
Unfortunately, there has been no mass working people’s party, especially since the return to civilian rule. Of course, there have been left parties like NCP, PRP, DA, SPN, AAC, etc but they are at no time strong or big enough individually to provide a formidable alternative to the big parties of the thieving, corrupt ruling elite – PDP and APC.
The Labour Party formed by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), that should serve the purpose of a mass workers’ party has been turned into the trashcan of major capitalist political parties, where rejects from capitalist parties like PDP and APC find a temporary abode. It is only Labour in name, without a working class program or a working-class base. Most of its candidates stand for the same anti-poor programs and capitalist policies as those in the PDP and APC. A recent example is Peter Obi who was the party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 elections. He advocated anti-poor neo-liberal policies which are basically similar to what President Bola Tinubu is implementing. Despite this however, we continue to argue that the trade unions to rescue the LP and if that proves impossible, they should work with left and socialist organizations to form an entirely new political party of the working class. Sadly, the condition in the trade unions at the moment means this perspective might take a while to develop.
Consequently, as we continue to strive for a mass party of the working people, we believe a united left electoral front can be a good starting point in putting forward alternative pro-working people agenda to rescue the Nigerian working people and poor in the 2027 elections and beyond.
We are therefore open to further discussion in this regard.
Kindly accept our warmest revolutionary regards.
Peluola Adewale
Organising Secretary
For DSM