Dr Tanko Yunusa, a former National Chairman of the de registered National Conscience Party (NCP), is the spokesman of the coalition of political parties that are in alliance with the Labour Party (LP), under the aegis of National Consultative Front (NCFront), otherwise known as the third force, that has adopted and declared support for LP presidential candidate, Peter Obi
Dr Yunusa Tanko in this, declared that so many presidential candidates and candidates for other level of elections in other political parties have keyed behind the candidacy of Peter Obi
He also stated that the LP candidate will reunite Nigeria, even as he adds that majority of Nigerians are in his support.
Excerpts.
As the National Chairman of one of the de registered political parties by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the National Conscience (NCP), can you tell us the relationship between you and the Labour Party (LP)
Yes, I am the National Chairman of the National Conscience Party (NCP) that has an issue with INEC, as well as the allying partners of the LP, and at the same time, the spokesperson of the National Consultative Fronts (NCF). So by infraction, I speak on behalf of the Third Force Movement (TFM), which encompasses of all the political parties that have come under the leadership of the LP and at the same time, the coalition of all the registered and deregistered political parties that are involved in the Third Force Alliance (TFA).
The larger a group expands, the more difficult for its management, do you think that all these political parties coming together can be easily managed
Well this is very exceptional, especially when you have a common interest and the common interest is to rescue Nigeria. In that case when everybody aligns with that common interest, it becomes easier and that makes common agenda. It is not when people have different agenda. Most of the political parties under this alliance don’t even have candidates but they can go ahead and promote the candidate of the LP and the party’s ideologies and beliefs.
Let me remind you that the LP movement has been on for decades and I am a part of that movement. We signed alliances with LP for long, under the leadership of Dan Nwanyanwu; but that alliances brought up some ideological beliefs of Balarabe Musa and the rest of them.
The second in number was late A.A. Salam, where we produced a coalition for new Nigeria, under the particular leadership of the same LP. And then at the same time, where we are now with Barr Julius Abure, the current LP National Chairman, which produced a potential and very capable presidential candidate, Mr Peter Obi, who we believe, that, by the grace of God will be the president of this country next year.
Although, the LP may have been making noise, but the criticism is that the party doesn’t have structures; it doesn’t have local government chairmen, not to talk of councilors; it does neither have state Assembly members, nor senators that would stand to defend results. Without all these, do you think that the LP may make it
Well, that makes it unconventional and it also makes it unique. I am glad that their noise is being noticeable. And as you know, it is human beings that vote, not structure. Then we go down the line to put in place unconventional structures that the people use to agree with.
As we speak today, the Trade Union Congress (TUC), Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the National Consultative Front (NCF), among others are LP’s supporters and members. We just came back from Kano, Kaduna, Jigawa and Katsina on a sensatisation programme that took place in town hall meeting, while others took place in labour houses. So I don’t know what structures they are talking about. Let me remind you that serious political parties that are in each state have offices, candidates and structures there. So anybody that thinks that LP doesn’t have structures should better make a rethink. Soonest, you will see LP’s flags flying everywhere. Perhaps, that one will make them believe that we have structures.
Like they are doing for the LP now, people are fond of praise – singing, without voting for those they have been singing the praises for. How are you sure that those praise singers and noise makers will vote for the LP
I see people raising bill boards by themselves. Many organisations donate money for such, but whenever we call a meeting, you see a lot of people trooping in. They pay for their transportation fares and you know in a conventional politics, it is the candidate that pays.
They say we don’t give money, but still people are trooping into the LP. So the issue of disappointment is not there, because it is the people that have volunteered to support the LP. As you can see for yourself right now, those people in uniform sowed the uniform on their own and they are here to launch their own support for the party. Personally, I have lunched 19 state leaders; graduates everywhere in the north, who run under Obi – Datti Northern Advocacy for Elections. I had meetings with them and I do neither organise the programm for them, nor pay for the venue for them. So I don’t know where the disappointment will be coming from. They are the ones that move themselves with belief that and conviction.
As they are not seen, does campaigning through the social media make sense to you
It is complementary and most of the youths who are supporting us are on the social media and I think that hope should be given to the candidature of LP candidate, Mr Peter Obi, for having been giving hopes to the youths, who don’t believe abnitio in politics and now, they are believing in politics and are supporting it, using the social media.
Initially, social media was being used for all kinds of things, like nudity, but now, what is trending more in the social media is the Obi campaign. What it means is that they have been able to take away the minds of the youths from negativism to politicism. So that is the plus we have benefitted; it has given our youths hope; from helplessness to hope, that something new can come up and the social .media is the market place.
One of the presidential candidates was allegedly reported as saying that the use of social media is useless with the reason that the North is ignorant of it. Can you react to that?
That is one of the big mistakes somebody will make by saying that. Majority of the Northerners are using social media more effectively than you can ever imagine. They are on social media and they are following every information and actions that is taking place in their language and English at the same time. So if anybody misused the opportunity of the social media, he is doing that at his own peril, because majority of the people who are going to vote are under social media and they are listening and they are taking action. If you accuse them or insult them, they are watching you.
How sure are you that they have voter’s cards
You saw the revolution of the cards. They go helter skelter, looking for the voters’ cards. The last results released by the INEC showed that Kano has above 500 registered people at the recent excise. Across the North, you saw them registering to vote for Peter Obi, because they were convinced that they have seen somebody that will turn around their fortune, from a consumer nation to productive one and that is why majority of them are tropping out. Even we are asking INEC to give us more time for those who haven’t registered to do so.
Northerners are known to pretend to support you and later vote for their Muslim brothers, don’t you think that they will do the same thing to your candidate
That is a very wrong assumption. History will tell you that Northerners didn’t vote for Abiola as a Christian or a Muslim. He was a Yoruba person. Remember that Olusegun Obasanjo was denied vote from his polling boot and the Northerners voted him. So that will show you that the Northerners vote for credibility.
Are you saying that Muslim – Muslim ticket will favour Nigerians
Not at all. During the time of Abiola, time, the nation was fully united. There was nothing like division then. Now you hear about Christians being attacked; Muslims being attacked, the Yoruba being attacked, the Igbo being attacked and so on. For you to unite the country, you must take cognisance of the recent happenings in the country. We don’t want to talk about Muslim – Muslim ticket. We want to talk about projects: things that will turn around the country; trying to ensure that we produce enough to take care of our internal and external requests.
Obi is from Anambra in the South East where insecurity is rising daily. Don’t you think that if he can’t successfully address it, he can’t successfully address the one in the country generally?
You can remember that the demand for Biafra has been going on for years, but immediately Mr Peter Obi came on board, the agitation automatically subsided, because they have seen the possibility of inclusivity into leadership. And I want to believe that it is because of the emergence of Obi as a candidate of the LP and that is why majority of us from the north are supporting this candidate, because it will unite the country and the Northerners will be doing their businesses in the South, likewise the South, in the North without fear. That is the way to unite the country and the LP candidate will do that.
