Why we’ll adopt Labour Party for 2023 elections –Yunusa Tanko, NCF spokesman
…Proffers solution to Nigeria’s security challenges
Razaq Bamidele
Dr. Yunusa Tanko, spokesman of the National Consultative Front (NCF), otherwise known as the Third Force Movement, has disclosed reason the Movement has chosen the Labour Party on which platform it will contest all the 2023 elections. In this interview, Tanko also proffered solution to the worrisome security challenges, facing the country among other important issues of national interest.
What does your Movement stand for?
The National Consultative Front, NCF, is an assemblage of technocrats, civil society groups, and leaders of thoughts, young men and women, who are determined to make a change in the country. We came together under a platform to chart a course of adopting a political party that will lead to the aspiration of a Third Force Movement, which is devoid of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). The idea, of course, is to bring credible Nigerians under a big tent to contest election in 2023. The ideological base is a pro-masses political movement under the leadership of Professor Pat Utomi.
Which of the registered political parties have you decided to adopt and why that choice?
Thank you. What we mean by a Third Force is a major political party that is different from the PDP and APC. It means that there has to be a political party. So, what we need to do is to either form a new political party or adopt a political party. The process of registering a new party is, of course, tedious and so we adopted the Labour Party (LP). Now, the Labour Party represents the interest of the Third Force. The Labour Party is the political vehicle that we are using as an opportunity to transform this country to a new horizon.
Then, how far do you think this your choice can take you in next year’s general election that is less than five months away?
Well, we will go very far because as you can see, a lot of Nigerians gravitated towards the Labour Party. In fact, we adopted the Labour Party before Peter Obi joined the party. What we have done was to adopt the Labour Party as our platform and as our collective vehicle to achieve our collective interest. And when we did that, we announced the adoption and a lot of people joined the party, including Comrade Peter Obi. But that is not to say there are no other consultations going on long before now with the Labour Party.
You will also notice that we have the Trade Unions Congress (TUC), and the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), on board in this particular movement. And the house is in continuity with other political parties to give us a big tent to fight or contest for the position of President, governors, senator, member, House of Representatives and state Houses of Assembly. So, it is a big and huge movement that we are putting in place.
In addition, there are several other political parties that we have talked to, those who are registered and those who are unregistered. Like the National Conscience Party (NCP), the Progressive Peoples Alliance (PPA), and other political parties with which we are working to have a big tent.
Now on security challenges in the country, are you comfortable with the dimension the monster is taking? If no, what do you suggest as the way out?
The truth about this is that there is evidence to show that there is a conspiracy against the state. This conspiracy is both external and internal. It is when you have a well politically motivated leadership that you can change the tide. I mean how can you explain that hundreds of motorcycles rode into Abuja and bombed the prison yard in Kuje and released the prisoners? That is to tell you the level of inefficiency of governance in Nigeria, as it is today. So, for us, we cannot wait to have a new government that will technically resolve the security challenges in our country. And this issue must start from the local governments to the state level, before it will come to the federal. All aggrieved individuals, who have taken arms against the state must be reached out to, so that we may know the root cause of the problem. We also need to train our policemen and armed men. We need to train, at least, ten thousand of them so that we will have enough well-trained policemen to man the affairs of our internal security. We should also ensure that our borders are not too porous. We should equip our military in such a way that they will have good intelligence gathering.
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It will also be important to look at the recruitment process of our security agencies, including the reward programme. If the reward programme is weak, it won’t give room for encouragement and so we must look into this. We must look into the economic importance attached to every livelihood so that our young boys and young girls will not be used as ready tools against the state. These are practical measures that can help to change the narratives as it were.
Some Members of the National Assembly are calling for the impeachment of President Muhammadu Buhari, how do you feel about it?
At the moment, it is not only the Senate and the House of Representatives members that are tired but all Nigerians are also tired and aggrieved. They feel if the president is incapacitated, he should resign. This is because I listened to the spokesperson of the president, saying the president has done his best and that the media should carry on the rest. That kind of statement is loaded and it deserves some explanation. We want to know if, in fact, the president is still in control of the apparatus of security in Nigeria. If not, I think it will be honourable for the president to bow out if he feels incapacitated.
So, the National Assembly, I think they came in too late. This thing has been going on and there has been no solution. May be this attempt to impeach the president by the National Assembly will make him to take more decisive actions on the matter.
What then is your advice for Mr. President on the issue of the worrisome insecurity in the land?
Mr. President should look inward but at the same time he should reach out to his partners outside the country to ensure permanent solution to the problems. The problems are very identifiable, that is like I mentioned earlier, the economic situation in the country. He should look at this and find a solution to it immediately. If there are issues that he cannot handle, he can seek help. There are Nigerians that are knowledgeable in the area of security. He should also reach out to past presidents; let them sit down and identify all the problems and cooperate with the president on how to solve the problem.
It is an urgent matter and the president should look inwards and reach out to past presidents, ask for their contributions to the solution to the problem of insecurity, so that they can join hands to solve the problem of insecurity in the country.
What are your expectations from the Independent Electoral Commission towards the 2023 general elections?
My advice is on the issuance of Permanent Voter Cards, (PVC). It is true that a lot of Nigerians intend to vote and they want to register. It is important that INEC publishes the names of all the owners of cards that are still lying fallow in their offices. It is also important that INEC should provide opportunities for all Nigerians to register for the voters’ cards. If possible, INEC should give Nigerians one more month to register and get the PVC.
However, we must give kudos to INEC for doing the best it can do at this moment and the success recorded in the Osun and Ekiti States’ governorship elections.
What about the electorate?
The electorate should look for credible Nigerians to lead us. They can see where we are at the moment. They can be part of determining the future by electing credible Nigerians, who can serve them and help transform this country to a very great nation.
