A former Labour Party House of Representatives candidate has unveiled a new grassroots
sociopolitical platform in Ile-Ife, calling on Nigerians to take direct responsibility for the direction of the country’s politics rather than leaving it in the hands of professional politicians.
Olamide Awosunle, who contested the Ife Federal Constituency seat in the 2023 general election, launched the Village People Movement at the Ife City Hall in Ile-Ife, Osun State, before an audience of men, women, and young people from diverse backgrounds.
Awosunle described the initiative as a response to what he sees as a crisis of civic disengagement, arguing that sustainable political change cannot happen without active citizen participation. He cited insecurity, unemployment, crumbling infrastructure, weak institutions, and entrenched corruption as the consequences of political apathy.
“The people who brought us here cannot take us out of it,” he said, urging a fundamental shift in how Nigerians relate to governance and democratic processes.
A key member of the platform, Dr. Obisakin Busayo, clarified that the Movement is not a political party but a mobilisation vehicle designed to sensitise citizens and drive grassroots engagement.
She noted, however, that it may evolve into or align with a political party in the future, depending on how the political landscape develops. She confirmed that while the launch took place in Osun State, the platform’s ambitions are national.
