Dr. Yunusa Tanko is the Nationwide Coordinator of the Obidient Motion. On this interview, he speaks on repositioning the motion for larger affect and the group’s renewed concentrate on mobilization, construction and youth empowerment, amongst different points. ANAYO EZUGWU stories
You stated that the Labour Party will probably be repositioned and that Mr Peter Obi has the potential to turn into president in 2027. What’s your confidence based mostly on?
It was the nice Chuba Okadigbo of blessed reminiscence who stated that in case you are emotionally connected to your tribe or faith and political lineage to some extent that justice, equity and fairness turn into a secondary consideration, then your publicity and your schooling is ineffective.
He went additional to say that the place you can not rise above petty sentiment, then you’re a legal responsibility to mankind. We don’t wish to be a legal responsibility to mankind.
We wish to add worth to mankind. It’s clear to us that there are challenges with the Labour Party and what can we do to mitigate these explicit challenges? It’s constructing the buildings of the Obidient Motion.
You keep in mind very clearly that through the 2023 normal election, we had been accused, rightly so, that we didn’t have buildings in all the polling items as 1,760 polling items weren’t lined by the Labour Party.
So, what can we do, studying from that have, is to say, this vitality that we’ve on the Obidient Motion, let’s impress it to some extent that we cowl every of these explicit polling items with what we name polling unit commanders.
After we mobilize these explicit unit commanders, and they’re reduce throughout all of those explicit polling items, we’ve a strong basis to have the ability to push any of the concepts and discover options to a lot of the challenges that we’ve in 2023. This, in fact, is our goal.
For us, anyone who’s occupied with good governance, which has already been put in place, and because the form of phrases that His Excellency Peter Obi spoke and made it very clear to the Nigerian folks, the place we’ve 12.5 million of them registering to vote, give us this explicit ardour to say, sure, we are able to transfer this vitality into a scientific method, utilizing the ICT expertise as a degree to impress the Nigerian youth into voting. So, we’re getting ready, and we’re able to face the challenges that we had over the 2023 normal elections.
What’s the plan for the Obidient Motion to be greater than Peter Obi? Are there plans in place for that?
After we took over management of the Obidient Motion, it was superb for the primary time within the Federal Republic of Nigeria, particularly within the northern half, the place folks don’t wish to affiliate with folks from the South, particularly from the SouthEast.
At present, we’ve leaders and mallams difficult one another. At present, we’ve younger girls and boys saying that within the subsequent election, we’re going for a Christian-Christian ticket.
More often than not, largely once you hear it from the North, you don’t get this explicit form of phrase. Once you assume that most likely that exact quantity is dwindling; from our investigation that quantity is growing. The place you thought we didn’t have them, we at the moment are having them.
The primary programme we did in Kano, after I took over management, was the place I received the sensation that a number of the key mallams in Kano, specifically, are talking to us. And the younger technology masking 44 native governments in Kano, are saying, the place are the workplaces? The place are the factors the place we are going to converge?
This was not completed. So, I can inform you for certain that we’re growing. Most likely what you’re seeing is these explicit phrases that most likely a few of them are on social media.
I’m referring to election outcomes…
Identical to I stated, the get together had quite a lot of challenges and that in fact, affected us very drastically. However we’re refocusing our thoughts and saying, that is what we have to do. We’ve realized from Imo. We’ve realized from Edo. We perceive the challenges, however we’re looking for options to them.
Most Nigerians are disillusioned with Labour candidates that had been elected with the Obi wave within the final election, particularly the lawmakers within the Nationwide Meeting. Why ought to Nigerians belief the Labour Party, and by extension, the Obidient Motion that elected them?
That’s the reason why we’re structurally placing it into place. The rationale why we’ve already understood a few of it’s as a result of, you realize, the Obidient Motion was an amorphous group. Folks had been simply doing what they will do. However now we’re structuring every part into formal formality.
Now, what we’ve in place is that the nationwide coordinator, we’re going to have zonal coordinators, we’re going to have state coordinators, we’re going to have native authorities coordinators and we’re ending up with having unit commanders.
Now, there’s going to be a route with the idea word that we’ve already put in place. I can guarantee you, it’s going to impress everyone into place, so that every one of those points that you simply raised is not going to rear their heads as a result of if there is no such thing as a route, we are able to’t maintain anyone accountable.
We’re nonetheless preventing to make sure that Labour Party turns into the get together that everyone will belief. However the place it turns into inevitable that the get together shouldn’t be able to assimilate the concept of fine governance and public accountability, we’ve to search for one other alternative
Are you saying folks voted for members of Labour Party to be within the Nationwide Meeting and there was no route of the get together to have the ability to inform them what to do?
Secondly, does it imply you don’t have the info of all Obidients now, you don’t know their quantity? We are able to’t have the numbers as a result of that’s what we are attempting to do.
Sure, that would be the subsequent transfer that we are attempting to do. We wish to have a proper registration for every member. The info will probably be a lot coordinated in such a method you may simply determine an Obedient the place he resides and the purpose of his vote.
In the course of the time of the problem of accumulating vehicles or no vehicles, His Excellency Peter Obi, in constructing belief throughout the voters, made it clear that he was not in assist of anyone accumulating vehicles and that they need to justify their transfer.
It was public. And that’s to indicate you that he has a unique route. Additionally, you want to know that almost all of the individuals who got here into the Labour Party at the moment, lots of them are greenhorns.
They don’t even know precisely what the Labour Party itself is, the structure and manifesto of the Labour Party. So it’s regularly that we’re placing these explicit pegs in the best gap.
How do you clarify the confusion between the Obedient Motion and the Labour Party to the Nigerian public?
The get together itself, keep in mind, was made by the Nigerian Labour Congress lengthy prior to now. There have been points fairly all proper throughout the get together. However when members of the Obidient Motion got here into the get together, in fact, they confronted a bit of little bit of resistance.
However what we wish to do, having realized from all of these classes is to say, look, the Obidient Motion is greater than the Labour Party. We’ve them in all places; academicians, merchants, some members of different political events.
However what we wish to do is to make sure that we give a route, to say, look, we’re shifting right into a political get together, A or B, with this explicit ideology and perception. If anyone doesn’t imagine in that, then they will maintain away.
His Excellency Peter Obi, who has been shifting from level A to level B, making an attempt to achieve the belief of the Nigerian folks. We had been along with him in Anambra just lately. It was one of many clergymen who even stated that sir, you made a press release that you’re going to come again and you probably did. We had been amazed.
He made a press release on August 5, and right here he’s on November 10, presenting them with a cheque. That’s constructing belief. So, it’s steady constructing of belief. We wish to reshape that exact ideological perception and the distinction from the get together.
If the platform of the Labour Party shouldn’t be accessible to Mr Peter Obi forward of the 2027 election; are we going to see a scenario whereby the Obidient Motion will search for one other particular function automobile, as he did in 2023?
Politics is dynamic however as soon as the concept is constant, then in fact, you may at all times discover a house. At this explicit time limit, we’re members of the Labour Party. And we’re nonetheless preventing to make sure that Labour Party turns into the get together that everyone will belief.
However the place it turns into inevitable that the Labour Party shouldn’t be able to assimilate the concept of fine governance and public accountability, in fact, we’ve to search for one other alternative the place we are able to commerce our market.
You spoke about Christian-Christian ticket. Is that the route you’ll go in 2027?
I simply gave you a easy analogy of a number of the form of pondering that’s taking place even within the North, the place you by no means thought that such a press release may come out from. Identical to I stated, politics is dynamic.
No person would have thought that Goodluck Jonathan, somebody whose state-controlled solely eight native governments, may turn into the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. So, nothing is inconceivable.
It’s stated that Peter Obi has additionally been speaking to Atiku Abubakar. If Atiku provides you a deal, would you guys take it?
In politics, you speak to lots of people. As we’re talking, lots of people imagine that most likely an even bigger platform ought to be one to we must always run with. We’re speaking to one another and there could also be an even bigger platform.
Does that imply you folks will want an even bigger platform?
That’s the reason why we’re independently constructing the Obidient Motion to indicate our energy. Inside a brief time period, you’re going to get our numbers.
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