NPF founded for Naga cause: Achumbemo

Naga People’s Front (NPF) secretary general, Achumbemo Kikon MLA on Saturday reiterated that the party was founded for the Naga cause and to pursue peace through political means.
Speaking at the inauguration of NPF Chümoukedima Division Office at 7th Mile, accompanied by oath-taking of office bearers, Achumbemo said the opening of a political office symbolised discipline, responsibility and continuity rather than mere logistics. He reminded that the party pledge drafted in 1968 continued to bind its members.
Tracing the party’s origins to October 21, 1963 when it was formed as the Democratic Party of Nagaland (DPN) with the motto Fide Non Armis (“By faith, not through arms”), Achumbemo said the cock symbol had for six decades given hope to the Naga people. He recalled that in the first State elections of 1964, the party won 12 seats but all MLAs resigned en masse following the signing of the first ceasefire agreement between Naga underground groups and the Government of India on September 6, 1964. “Such sacrifice is unheard of today,” he remarked.
Achumbemo said the merger of two regional parties last October to mark NPF’s 60 years exemplified Naga unity. He added that under chief minister Neiphiu Rio, the party had gone the extra mile to unite Nagas across regions and opinions. While asserting that NPF was a regional party, he said it had also safeguarded the rights of non-Naga minorities in the state.
Calling for transparency and accountability, Achumbemo cautioned party functionaries to not misuse the “good office of the party” for personal gain. He urged members to dedicate their time and become assets to the organisation so that NPF could grow from strength to strength. Referring to the priorities of the ruling coalition, Achumbemo said the government’s 34 MLAs placed resolution of the Naga political issue at the top, without neglecting development.
Also speaking on the occasion, advisor Zhaleo Rio said the inauguration of the Chümoukedima Division Office marked the successful completion of the NPF–NDPP merger at the grassroots level. He noted that the Chümoukedima–Dimapur belt was a crucial political and demographic zone, and praised the maturity shown in the merger process. “Dimapur is the mini Nagaland,” he said, stressing that unity must begin where the Naga population converges.
Zhaleo urged party workers to coordinate between division and assembly constituency levels, reminding them that they were unpaid political workers serving public welfare. He said many Naga elders and intellectuals had welcomed the merger and called upon political actors to set an example for unity across the spectrum, including underground groups.
Describing the day as a milestone, Zhaleo likened the merger to “a new vehicle handed over” and said it depended on how it was driven and maintained to bring positive change.
Earlier, the programme chaired by Phushika Awomi, vice-president (COB), began with an invocation by pastor Mhasivizo Pucho of Chümoukedima Town Baptist Church, followed by oath administered by senior vice-president Charlie Sekhose.