• Rules out one party state, return to regional govt
Elder statesman and prominent northern politician, Alhaji Tanko Yakasai, has stressed the need for politicians and political office holders to be guided by ideologies rather than personal interests.
He also said political parties were supposed to be formed by people with the same ideas and thinking.
“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” he said.
Yakassai, who was liaison officer to the late president, Shehu Shagari, at the then National Assembly, attributed frequent defections by politicians from one political party to another to dearth of ideologies.
He, however, said that the gale of defections currently taking place cannot result in Nigeria becoming a one-party state.
“Given the size of the country and the multi-party system being practised, it will be difficult for the country to melt into a one-party state,” he said.
According to him, it will be hard to satisfy the yearnings of Nigerians under a one-party arrangement.
”In a democracy, the minority can have their say but the majority will have their way. There is always going to be a place for the opposition, but it all depends on the magnitude of the opposition.
“Those who are defecting are doing so for so many reasons. Some are thinking that their former parties are no longer popular in their localities and need a more viable platform to ensure they win the next election,” he said.
On what the regional bodies, such as Arewa Consultative Forum, Ohaneze Ndigbo and Afenifere have done to advance the unity of the country, he said that they haven’t done much in that regard.
Yakasai, who described himself as a proponent of rotational presidency, said the idea was the brain-child of the defunct National Party of Nigeria (NPN).
While stating that no group had opposed the principle of zoning, he said it was a valid proposition for the country’s unity.
“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.”
He said it was no longer possible for Nigeria to return to regional government as practised in the first republic.
“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,” he said.
According to him, not many Nigerians are favourably disposed to the idea of going back to a regional government which gained ground during the First Republic.
“Read the newspapers; how many people are supporting the call for a return to the regional government? Where are those people from the North, West or South?” he queried.
The elder statesman said in a democracy, everyone had the right to express his/her opinion, stating that this might not constitute majority opinion unless otherwise tested.
“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 wishful thinking. If the government scales their calls and uncovers that it is not what the majority want, they will keep quiet,” he said.
Source: @TheSUN
