2027 GENERAL ELECTION: About Seven Parties Are Already Talking To Peter Obi — Yunusa

Yunusa Tanko, the National Coordinator of Obidient Movement, in this interview with CHIBUIKE CHUKWU, takes a look at the recently concluded Anambra State governorship election, regretting the upsurge in vote buying and other anomalies. He also speaks on the 2027 election and Peter Obi’s position, among other issues. Excerpts

Looking at the Anambra State election, some papers quoted Peter Obi as saying that it lacked credibility. What is His Excellency’s position on this?

It was very clear that the election was heavily marred with vote buying, where security men were also involved. And it clearly just showed that there is yet no integrity in our electoral system. So those are the things that he meant, you know, and that we need to do something about it. Recall that, during the last 10 days, Peter Obi has been involved in donating to schools, and close to about 400 million have been spent. So his thinking is that, instead of you taking your money to go and buy votes, I mean, it’s absurd. It doesn’t give the process credibility. We need to develop the country, rather than destroying it, because electoral buying and vote buying destroy the country. It gives you ineptitude, very weak and inexperienced leaders, and ones without popular support because it’s just your money that bought it for you. Because you’ve been able to steal money from somewhere, and just bring it in, and go and buy the votes, and the conscience of the people when they were deliberately and heavily pauperised. The people are hungry, so, N1,000 and a gala determines who becomes the governor. At the same time, when you look at it, there was voter apathy. Seriously, people didn’t come out to vote. Considering Anambra has over two million people, only five hundred thousand people determine who becomes their governor is sad. So, those are the issues.

Given the issue of vote buying and the other challenges noticed in the election, do you think it would discourage Peter Obi who is spoken of as one of the people to contest the 2027 general election?

Well, for someone who wants to change the system, he won’t be deterred. He’s a very polite person, for sure, in making that change. He is a changer. The people strongly believe in him. He is not desperate to govern Nigeria but he’s desperate to see things work out in the country. It is his desire to see Nigeria work for Nigerians because the country is not working for anyone. So, I am not sure if that will discourage him, but rather it will make him keep on putting the issues on the front burner. Let us see how it goes. Maybe the people will just hear the huge cry of His Excellency, who is trying to make a change for a better country. Like I said, Peter Obi is one who is not happy seeing how far the country has degenerated and he is passionate about seeing things work in this country.

Before the election, people said the just concluded the Anambra exercise was a litmus test for the new INEC chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan. Given the result and the outcome of the poll, do you think the new helmsman lived up to expectations?

Well, I won’t say so, I will give him the benefit of the doubt, because the issue of vote buying cannot be ascribed to him. But if you see the level of reports of the results, in the record time, you will more or less, know that he was trying to prove a point, because the results came in almost at the same time. It didn’t take him time to produce the result of the election. So, with that, we can give him credit and benefit from the doubts. The issues we had in the election, particularly vote buying, it was not his fault because he has no control over that. Remember he is just weeks on the job.

Governor Soludo won in all the local government areas and this is about the second or third time it is happening that a governor cleared all the council areas. In all honesty is it possible for a candidate to have a hundred percent victory in an election or maybe you say a presidential candidate wins in all the states of the federation?

If you are talking of completely credible elections, it is not possible. The problem we have is that the country does not have any form of checks and balances to encourage those who are capable to run for elections. And those with money are grabbing the results because they have money; because of the heavy use of money in the system. And the other political parties without such a heavy financial war chest are being cowed and intimidated, either by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) or using police and army, putting security into the area. And so in such situations, the credibility of the election becomes a problem.

So many people feel Peter Obi is not open on his choice of platform for the 2027 election. To a lot of Nigerians, Obi has remained anonymous concerning the party he will run on. What is the true position of things? Is his silence strategic or an indecision?

Obi is still a member of the Labour Party. He has not left the Labour Party. And so, strategically, you have plenty of people, plenty of political parties asking for him. I can say on record that I know about seven politcal parties who want him to come and run under them, including the PDP. So that way, His Excellency has to sit back and do an analysis of the party that he may run under, and then make a pronouncement. And he has to consult with everybody that believes in him. He’s not a one-man person. He does consultation.

But he has been accused of not holding the Labour Party together. According to his critics, the party is crumbling under him and they asked that if he cannot hold a political party together, how is he going to manage a complex country like Nigeria? To them, the crisis in the Labour Party is a clear test of his lack of leadership. Your take on this.

The challenges are there because those accusing him infiltrated the party and caused chaos, just like they do for every political party. When you point a finger, the other four fingers are looking at you. But they are behind it. And while His Excellency is trying to hold the party together, they continue to create crises. You can see what is happening. How can it be? A party and the sitting secretary have sent a letter to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Commission has ignored it. Then the same people again came back and said that the particular letter was a fake one. The person that wrote it said it was a fake one. Can somebody fake your own signature? And it was done. And at the same time, now they go to court and collect kangaroo judgments, like they do — first problem in the party and they expect people to continue to fight. That’s what they do. So they are behind it. His Excellency has done his best, of which he has continued to do his best to ensure that the party remains the same. And that is the reason he went ahead to support George Muoghalu in the Anambra State election in order to show that he is holding his party together. Actually, they were thinking that in the election, he would support the African Democratic Congress (ADC). They were actually thinking he would support the ADC candidate. People think Peter Obi is more of an ADC now.

As a Muslim, how do you look at the narrative that Donald Trump, the United States President, plans to ‘invade’ Nigeria? This question becomes imperative given that majority of the Muslims are of the view that the US President threatened to fight Muslims on behalf of Christians, contrary to what he said about routing out terrorists in Nigeria

The truth about it is that, when the government fails in its capacity to correct the ills in the society, they become vulnerable to all kinds of issues. And such is this particular one. You are a journalist and you should know this also. You also know that there have been killings across this country. So, what I believe is one side is attacking another side because the government failed to do what it is supposed to do. But to be honest with you, America knows everything that happens in this country. The bandits, one day, said that they don’t produce ammunition. They said their cows don’t produce bullets. Their cows only produce cows. It then means somebody is giving them those guns. Somebody is paying for the bullets. So, if America really wants to help Nigeria, they should cut the supplies. They can do it. We don’t even need to talk about coming to Nigeria. Cut the supply of guns and cut the supply of bullets. Most of these guns are produced in the United States of America. Probably because every state in America always has guns. They produce them. They know who produce them. They know who sells them. They know who buys them. Even among us, who buy them in Nigeria, they know. Those who buy guns, those who drop guns and bullets in Nigerian forests, they know. So if they really want to help us, which we want, we really need the help. They should cut the supplies. And they can do it.

Does it mean you don’t believe in the United States coming to Nigeria primarily to take out the terrorists?

They don’t even need to. They don’t even need to do that because they can help in other ways. To me, if they want to help, within one month, America should cut all supplies. And once they do it, you will see Nigeria in peace because anybody that comes to your house without a gun, you can easily deal with him. The only thing that he may have is just a gun that he is scared to deal with. It is the guns that they have. Do you see the kind of guns that these bandits are parading? Do you see the kind of guns that even kidnappers are parading? They come to churches. They come to mosques. Kill anybody on sight. And even go ahead and be showing it off. So, if sincerely they really want to help us, please ask America to cut the supply of guns and bullets to Nigeria. And that is the end of banditry. They don’t need to come.

But some people have alleged that some of the weapons the terrorists are brandishing are from the military, lending credence to what former President Jonathan said that the terrorists actually invaded his government. Also there is an angle of conspiracy in the military hierarchy. What is your take on this?

Of course, we all know that there is a conspiracy. Someone is not amused. There is conspiracy. Sure, there is a conspiracy. But when you cut the supplies and you can match any supply to the Nigerian army or the Nigerian police, then you do know where to trace it because it will be in short supply. To buy the weapons, any soldier, any policeman has his gun attached to him and his name. It is easy to identify. If it is in the infantry, you know where the guns are kept. So, cut the supply, cut the supply of guns, cut the supply of bullets to Nigeria or any part of the country, any part of the world.

So you don’t believe there is actually genocide against Christians?

Not at all. I will rather say there is genocide against Nigeria and Nigerians. My brother, there is genocide against Nigeria, not to any tribe, but against Nigeria. This is because the terrorists kill Christians, they kill Muslims.

It has been reported that the people in power today, during the Jonathan administration, actually went to the United States to reportedly call for America’s intervention over similar alleged killing of Christians. Why do you think they are crying foul today?

It was because of the interest of power (they went there then). People looking for power at all means and not looking at the danger that it will bring to the people. Now it’s affecting everybody because of conspiracy and lack of telling Nigerians the truth because they don’t tell the Nigerians the truth. They keep the truth away because Nigerians don’t know what’s going on. Somebody will come and tell you this and tomorrow you find out that it’s another thing entirely. There’s no truth in the system. To me, I’m pleading, America should please cut the supplies of weapons in order to help Nigeria against Nigerian genocide. They should cut the supply and bring sanity to Nigeria. They don’t even need to come. Despite what they said, they are not even intending to come in, but they don’t even need to come. If they sincerely want to help Nigeria, they don’t need to come.

I feel even if they cut the supplies as you have advocated, it may not completely rid the country of insurgency as such can only be stopped when the government truly starts to act. Do you agree with this?

Insurgency can stop internally when governments start acting as governments. Not as hypocrites. They should start acting as governments, protecting the interests as contained in Chapter 2 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Protecting every Nigerian.

What is the message of Obidient Movement to Nigerians in the face of hardship in the country?

I just wanted to advise our people. Stay fast. The terrain is rough and tough. Only the strong can survive it. It can affect your fabrics. But only when you are strong and you are committed, you continue so that we can reach the destination. It’s not easy on us. It’s not easy on His Excellency. It’s not easy on everybody. But we just need to be consistent to work with ourselves. That’s just the advice I would give to every obedient. Let’s continue working to emancipate Nigeria.