Foremost politician and elder statesman Alhaji Tanko Yakassai, yesterday reflected on the early and preliminary preparations for the 2027 general election.
The nonagenarian, assessing the likely presidential candidates on the various platforms, said none of them has the capacity to unseat President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the next election.
The special adviser to Second Republic President Shehu Shagari, who is 99 years old, spoke with reporters in Kaduna.
Yakassai spoke on the imperative of ideology in politics, urging defectors to be guided by ideas and ethos.
He also spoke on the challenges of nation-building and development, which should be tackled by the patriotic efforts of Nigerians and foreign support.
The nonagenarian nationalist said in particular, tackling insecurity requires citizens’ commitment and international collaboration.
‘Nobody can beat Tinubu in poll’
Yakasai, who advised politicians to shun politics of ethnicity and religion, insisted that President Tinubu would have an edge in the 2027 contest.
Ahead of the 2027 polls, politicians have intensified consultations and mobilisation across the country.
Also, opposition figures are neck-deep in alliance and coalition talks, despite the leadership crises rocking their platforms.
He said: “I haven’t heard anybody making any proposition about the 2027 presidential election from Arewa Consultative Forum. What is tagged the Arewa Consultative Forum or Northern Elders Forum’s position is mere individual opinions, because all sections of the north have not taken stand on this.”
Yakasai said Nigerians should shun speculations and wait until the northerners meet and officially take a position.
He added: ”In Nigeria today, Bola Tinubu is the president. He has his ministers and governors who are backing him. Who else has all what it takes to move into the contest with the kind of stamina and strength to be more successful comparatively with Tinubu?
Yakasai said while the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) is controlling majority of states, some governors from the opposition parties are also supporting President Tinubu.
He stressed: “We should all wait and see if the picture will change drastically, otherwise for now, the odds are in his (Tinubu’s) favour because I have not seen anything that will prevent him from winning the next election.
“He hasn’t done anything against the North in my understanding and the North alone cannot decide who becomes the president of the country.”
The elderstatesman said the crisis assailing the major opposition parties has further softened the grounds for Tinubu to win in 2027.
But Yakassai refrained from assessing the Tinubu administration in the last two years, saying that he would do so later.
He, however, advised politicians to always have the interest of the masses at the centre of their actions and plans.
Yakassai said: “Our politicians should see politics as a dynamic game and what I will advise is for them to play the game on the basis of ideology and programmes. Let them envision the way they want the country to be and not targeting to be ministers, governors and president.
“After becoming all these and nothing is done in the interest of the country, we will not get better. They should eschew politics of ethnicity and religion because not making our country the focal point of our politics has held us down for so long.”
Longevity factor
Yakassai, who would be 100 years in December, attributed the longevity to the grace of God.
Noting that his father died at the age of 107 years and his mother at 100, he said the combined effects hereditary may have contributed to his longevity.
He added: “My children, grandchildren and great grand children are more than 80 and still expanding. I give glory to God for these.”
‘How to tackle insecurity’
Yakassai said tackling security challenges requires commitment by Nigerians and international collaboration, stressing that government alone cannot tackle the problem.
He said Nigerians should collaborate with security agencies in terms of intelligence gathering, adding that other countries should assist by checking the sources of arms and ammunition supply and financial backing for terrorist groups.
Yakassai said: “The problems of security in Nigeria has taken a universal dimension. What the government should do is to take a critical review of the problem with a view to drawing more workable plans to tackle the challenges.
“Government should know the number of security personnel, weapons and other logistics they need and even exceed the plan in order to get good results at the end of the day.”
The elderstatesman said since terrorism, banditry and agitations by some sections of the country are driven by different causes, they also require different solutions.
He added: ”Even the United Kingdom, China and India, all have their internal challenges and what is important is patriotism on the part of the citizens.”
On the performance of the 10th National Assembly, he said the lawmakers were doing their best.
‘Defection should be guided by ideology’
He also attributed the gale of defecations at the National Assembly to a feature of the dynamic game.
Yakassai said: “You see how people are changing parties. It started one, two, three and now it’s gathering momentum. They are now in hundreds, leaving their parties and joining others.
“What is important now is for Nigerians to be very watchful and know where the pendulum will eventually swing. The masses should be careful about who to support.”
Yakassai, a disciple of the radical politician, Mallam Aminu Kano, said politicians and political office holders should be guided by ideology rather than personal interests.
He said political parties should be formed by people with the same ideas and thinking.
Yakassai stressed: “The way political parties emerge in this country, especially when you look at the events that followed this democratic dispensation, is not ideal.
“People were not sure of where to go initially. It is only now that things are beginning to take some shape.
“This is a country where we have a federation with East, West and North, yet many politicians don’t consider what should be the interest of their people and the nation at large; rather, all they think is personal gains, as politicians.”
Yakassai attributed the frequent defections by politicians from one political party to another to the dearth of ideologies.
‘Zoning would foster unity’
The eminent politician, who described himself as a proponent of rotational presidency, said the idea was the brain-child of the defunct National Party of Nigeria (NPN).
Noting no group had opposed the principle of zoning, he said that it was a valid proposition for national unity.
He added: “This is a country where we originally had three regions and later 36 states. In the long run, letting key political offices, such as the president, to go round will promote unity.”
‘Regional govt not feasible’
Yakassai said it is impossible for Nigeria to return to regional government as practised in the First Republic.
He said: “I am almost 100 years old. I was born in December 1925. I know what is possible and what is not possible. I can’t venture into what is not possible. I don’t think regional government is possible again in Nigeria.
“Read the newspapers; how many people are supporting the call for a return to regional government? Where are those people from the North, West or South?
“That you have few people who are talking about regional government doesn’t translate into the fact that the majority of the country are craving for what is being talked about.
“What the few are talking about could be regarded as their wishful thinking. If government scales their calls and uncovers that it is not what the majority want, they will keep quiet.”
Madukwe B. Nwabuisi is an accomplished journalist renown for his fearless reporting style and extensive expertise in the field. He is an investigative journalist, who has established himself as a kamikaze reporter.
