Muhammad Alhaji Yakubu is the assistant national auditor of Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) and member of the National Executive Council (NEC) of the Forum, as well as the national convener, Atiku/Okowa 2023 Patriots.

In this interview, Yakubu gave some reasons former President Olusegun Obasanjo is allegedly not at peace with his former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar over the forthcoming presidential election of which Atiku is the standard bearer of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).

The ACF chieftain alleged that Obasanjo has not forgiven Atiku and the North for fighting against his third term agenda while he was the president between 1999 and 2007.

However, Yakubu said that Obasanjo should be rest assured that Atiku is not vindictive and will never be on revenge mission against his former boss.

He also spoke about PDP’s election strategy, saying that Atiku’s winning formula, political wizardry will shock his opponents, even as he added that ACF will soon take a stand on Atiku, either for or against his political ambition.

The convener of Atiku/Okowa 2023 Patriots equally fielded questions on the feud between Atiku and the G-5 governors of the PDP led by Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State, saying it is a family squabble within the party which will be settled amicably and the party will be stronger for it. Excerpts:

The endorsement of Peter Obi of Labour Party by former President Olusegun Obasanjo for the forthcoming presidential election has generated reactions across the country. What is your own reaction?

Happy New year to all Nigerians, I pray that the Almighty God put smiles on the faces of every Nigerian from now and change the fortunes of this great country through Atiku/Okowa.

On Obasanjo endorsing Peter obi, I want to say that it is democracy at play, and you know Obasanjo like any other Nigerians, has only one vote. However, we will like to remind Obasanjo that he introduced do-or-die affair into Nigerian politics, he is not a saint also and he is no longer the moral compass or statesman of Nigeria.

Obasanjo was also part and parcel of Nigeria problems, that is why when he was president we advised him to adopt the Nelson Mandela style who presided over South Africa and left power honourably without any further political ambition to sit tight in office. So by now Obasanjo would have had that honour and respect like Mandela, and that is when he will have the moral authority to tell Nigerians the way to go, but because of his lost third term agenda, he is taking on and kicking against the North, Nigerians are alot wiser now politically. So, Obasanjo is still angry and has not forgiven Atiku and the North for fighting against his third term agenda, but Obasanjo should be rest assured that Atiku is not vindictive and Atiku has forgiven him for all every plot against Atiku.

The G-5 governors in PDP, led by Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike are still threatening not to support Atiku’s presidential campaign. What do you have to say on this?

This family squabble within PDP and G-5 governors will be amicably settled and the party will come out stronger because Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State is a valuable asset to the People’s Democratic Party (PDP). He has contributed to the growth of PDP. He is part and parcel of Nigerians that built the party. And also PDP has helped in building Wike because whatever he is today is as a result of his membership of PDP. So, PDP has helped in building him and he too has helped in building PDP. Be that as it may in any political party, and political environment, there are usually crisis. We know those who are fanning the ember of distraught and crisis within the PDP. We know them. But I want to appeal to Wike and his colleagues to be careful about the consequences of what they are doing. I am saying this because there are precedents, particularly from his own state, Rivers State. We have former governor of the state, Peter Odili. He once contested primary election for the presidency, he couldn’t win, but he took it in good faith. And that is why he is well respected in Nigeria today. Another former governor of Rivers State, Rotimi Amaechi also contested presidential primary election, and he lost. He even came second after Bola Tinubu under the All Progressive Congress (APC). But Amaechi is not making noise about it. Nobody is hearing him. It is not that they did not feel hurt. Three is nobody that has not been hurt in this country. But what people do is to move on, and as you move on Nigerians will continue to respect you. I think Wike has made his case, so if he sheathes his sword now it will be more honourable for him and his colleagues. I used to know the kind of respect Wike has for Atiku, and all along he has been saying that he has no problem with Atiku. He said his problem is the National Chairman of the party, Iyorchia Ayu. And again it was uncalled for Wike to go on national television to say that Atiku has been begging the former President Olusegun Obasanjo. Wike is taking this crisis too far. He should know that power is transient. Very soon he will be out of power and he will realise the stuff Nigerians are made of. Quite a number of people around him are hypocrites, as soon as he steps out of power he will not see anybody again. In fact, the people who surrounded him now are going to be the first people to abuse him. So, I think he should tamper his temper with some calmness. I have a lot of respect for him. That is what I can say so far about this crisis because there are still windows for reconciliation. They have not left PDP and they have not endorsed any presidential candidate. Four out of the G-5 have election to run. Even Wike has election to run because he has a governorship candidate. So, I think they should realise that you don’t get result with anger. You get result with strategy. This is my appeal and advice to them. I have a tremendous respect for Wike and I am sure he would not like to destroy the house that he built.

What will Atiku and PDP do if the G-5 governors go ahead to endorse a particular presidential candidate?

Let me tell you my personal opinion about this. Power belongs to God. I don’t want people to appropriate God’s power to themselves. God has already decided what is going to happen whether they come along or not. But preferably, we want them to come along. So, I will not go further on this until we get to that bridge, then we know how to cross it.

As an ACF chieftain what is the thinking of the Forum to ensure this Atiku/Wike crisis is settled?

No. ACF is apolitical. ACF cannot wade into this crisis. It is a political issue. What I can tell you is that the chunk of votes, 85 to 90 per cent is from the North and these votes are going to Atiku, not because he is a northerner. But because he has the capacity to do the job, and usually Northerners vote for capacity and stability of the country and they vote according to their conscience. That is the edge Atiku has over other presidential candidates. He has the capacity a leader should have to lead this country. He has the network across the country. He has built people across this country. So this is the edge he has over other candidates. Apart from the fact that he has the capacity to get the job done, he has the courage to take the necessary decisions. And he has the capacity to monitor and checkmate those that work under him. And don’t forget that he had already said that if he becomes president, there will be nothing like cabal in his government. That is one thing that is endearing quite a number of Nigerians to him. If he can break that jinx we will make fantastic progress as a nation.

The former Secretary General of ACF, Anthony Sani said recently that those northern groups endorsing Atiku do not represent the interest of the entire North. What can you make out of his comment?

If you listened to what I have just told you, I said the chunk of northern votes, 85 to 90 per cent, if not 100 per cent of the votes will go to Atiku. So, Sani in his own analogy, if those groups do not represent the interest of the entire North, then whom are they going to vote for. Well, let me not go far into that. What I think is important now which Nigerians want to hear now is how this country can move forward, how it can stabilise, how educational system will be functional, how health system will be more functional, and how we can get peace in the country. I think these are more important. And Atiku has the road map, well marshalled out to deal with those sectors I have enumerated to you with time line.

In 2015 and 2019, the body language of ACF leadership showed that it was in support of Buhari. It appears that that body language is not seen in the build up to the 2023 election?

The body language is there, maybe you are not seeing very well. Did you hear the message our elder, Alhaji Sani Zango Daura send to the North. There is another message from the Emir of Daura. The 2023 election is going to be spectacular and unique in the sense that this is the first time Nigerians are going to define their leader. Most of the governors no longer have the goodwill to deliver votes because of their extreme poor performances. Nigerians are seriously disenchanted. So this election, mark my words, write it down, Nigerians are going to define their leaders. You will see a lot of protest votes. They will vote in anger. If you remember, there was a time Fashola said Nigerians should not vote in anger. Why won’t they vote in anger since those they voted for in previous elections are treating them with disdain. And they have not fulfilled their promises. You are a journalist, you are a Nigerian too, tell me in 2015 how much were you buying a bag of rice, how much were you buying fuel. Let me ask you, what Buhari was asking Nigerians in 2015 whether their lives were better. So, I am asking Nigerians now, are their lives better now than what it used to be in 2015? If their lives are not better, they should go the PDP way so that PDP will redress and revive the country infrastructurally.

The presidential candidate of the All Progressive Congress (APC), Bola Ahmed Tinubu, was quoted to have said recently in Abeokuta that if not for him Buhari wouldn’t have become president, that he (Buhari) was only weeping on television each time he lost election. Some Nigerians did not take Tinubu’s comment lightly, accusing him of playing God. What is your reaction?

I am also very angry about that statement, and that is why in my first remarks I told you that people should not appropriate power to themselves. I think it was a mistake, that kind of statement shouldn’t have come from him. Tinubu has one vote. What will people like us say, some of us that went to trenches to ensure Buhari won the election. I think it was a very bad statement, it was wrong of him to have said that, in my own thinking. He shouldn’t have said that because it angered alot of people. What of Northerners that have been working for him (Buhari) all along, since 2003. Was he, Tinubu that asked them to vote for him. That is part of the reasons Atiku has an edge over other candidates because Nigerians are looking for somebody who will be humble With power, not somebody that will be arrogant with power. Nigerians want somebody who will be emphatical with power, not somebody who will be arrogant, we need somebody who talks to Nigerians every day. If you follow the trends of the presidential campaign, you see that Nigerians cannot get Tinubu to address them. To speak to them in a debate, he is not forthcoming, while other candidates are speaking to Nigerians. How can you lead a country that you cannot talk to the people, you are using surrogates to talk to the people. It is unfortunate. Nigerians are politically sophisticated now. That is why I said this 2023 election, Nigerians will define their leaders.

Northern region consists of 19 states, so from your own political permutation, how many states out of this 19 do you think Atiku will win?

I have just told you, (didn’t you see Thisday newspaper polls analysis, Atiku is leading across the country), not only in the North, but across the country. So, the kind of tsunami that brought Buhari into power in 2015, it is the same kind of tsunami that will sweep APC out of power because of their monumental failure and corruption in the last seven, getting to eight years now. I am sorry to say that most of the people around the president have demystified him.

Many Nigerians are of the fear that if the G-5 governors continue with their threat against Atiku and the PDP, they may not have where to hide their faces if Atiku eventually wins the election. What is your reaction here?

No, no, no. Atiku is not that kind of person. Let me tell you, one of the reasons former South African president, the late Nelson Mandela is greatly respected in the world, was because of his spirit of forgiveness. It was not that when Mandela became president he eradicated poverty or corruption across the country, no, that spirit of forgiveness endeared him to the world. Also mentorship. He brought a younger person to be his vice in the person of Thabo Mbeki. While Mandela was going about the world, preaching peace and forgiveness, Mbeki was in charge of government. So, that is why the whole world respected him. Atiku is not a vindictive type of person. I know some former governors and senior citizens that have offended him (Atiku). He forgave them and moved ahead to interact with them. I can assure you that if Atiku becomes President tomorrow, nothing will happen to Wike. Forget all those rumours that Atiku said he will do this or that. No, Atiku is not that kind of a person. Even as a Muslim, you should not hold grudges against your neighbour or your fellow Muslim brothers, not to talk of your fellow countrymen. This is the kind of healing Atiku will bring to this country which we are presently lacking. We need total healing, total unity across the country. So, I can assure you that Atiku is not going to be vindictive. He is not going to take revenge on any body whether you are with him or not. He is going to be president of all Nigerians whether you voted for him or not. Whether you like him or not, he is going to be the president of all Nigerians. This I can assure you.

There is this general fear that with the coming of Peter Obi and Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso for the presidential race, they have depleted Atiku’s votes especially in the North. Are you also of the same fear?

If you recall one interview I had with you sometime ago, I told you that when politicking is in full swing, you will see the political sagacity, wizardry in Atiku. By the end of January you will see alot of realignments. I won’t let the cat out of the bag now. But you will see alot of realignments. In the case of Peter Obi and Kwankwaso, they have not depleted Atiku’s votes. This democracy, you will see alot of realignments by the end of January. Let me stop here. I don’t want to let the cat out of the bag, like I said earlier. This is part of our strategies. While others are busy placing posters all over the place, talking on radio, we are busy talking to the people at the grassroots. We are talking to the people who are feeling the brunt of this monumental failure. So, we are reconnecting with the people.

Are you saying that Atiku’s strategies will shock Nigerians and his opponents?

That is what I am telling you, you will soon see the political skill and wizardry in him.

What is your advice to some of the presidential candidates going overseas to hold political meetings because some Nigerians are saying it amounts to economic waste?

It is not only an economic waste, alot of Nigerians feel disrespected as their leaders hold them with disdain. They go abroad not only for meetings, but for medical checkup too. And that is why we are where we are. If they go out and see good things and replicate them here we won’t mind. The people who you want them to vote for you are here in Nigeria, why then are you going outside the nation. I think they should cut it down so that Nigerians can appreciate them the more. Alot of Nigerians see this trip to overseas to go and hold meetings as an economic waste especially now that life is tough. You need to see what Nigerians are going through now. Nigerians are going through the trauma that can only be imagined in terms of insecurity, on all fronts. And this is the time political leaders should show empathy, to show leadership, not extravagance, arrogant of power.

ACF counterparts, Ohanaeze, in the East and Afenifere in the West, have shown the presidential candidates they are supporting. What is ACF waiting for or why is ACF shying away?

ACF is not shying away. If you look at our history, ACF is always stabilising this country. In stabilising the country you allow other people to vet their positions, vet whatever they want to do, then you aggregate and take a position. Before the election you will see the position of ACF. I can also tell you that quite a number of ACF members are with Atiku. Because we cannot forget what Atiku did for us, he contributed to the foundation and development of ACF. He helped ACF financially and otherwise. It is time to pay him back in good coins. The most critical time that we needed him he was there for us. Now at this critical time that he needs us, we will be there for him too.

The other day President Buhari has to go public to tell Nigerians why he has not been going on campaign tour with Tinubu. What is your thinking about this?

Let me tell you, every individual has his or her own style of governance. Right from the onset, Asiwaju distanced himself from the president, like the statement he made in Abeokuta and other statements he has been making. And APC has been going on campaign without showcasing anything. So, why will Mr. President be following them on campaign. That is my analogy. When Obasanjo brought Yar’Adua and Jonathan, he was moving with them on campaign. They were showcasing what Obasanjo did for this country. But from the onset Asiwaju group distanced themselves from Buhari, making disparage comments about him, confirming that APC under Buhari did not perform. So, why will he be following them. It doesn’t make political sense. It means that if they are in government they will rubbish the little achievements Buhari has made.

Less than two months to the presidential election, what is your advice to INEC on free and fair election?

So far I have no cause to advise them because they have done very well. I believe the INEC chairman, Prof Mahmoud Yakubu wants to leave a legacy. Everybody is talking of former INEC chairman, Prof Attahiru Jega because he anchored a credible election. So, if Prof Yakubu wants to rubbish his name, it is left for him. And if he wants to write his name in gold he should do the right thing like Prof Jega did. It is up to him. But so far, so good I have no cause to worry. But I will still appeal that they do the right things. And I hope that the instructions President Buhari gave towards election will be adhered to because he warned security agencies to remain apolitical. If this is adhered to, I think we will have no problem. It will be a legacy that he will be leaving behind for Nigerians now. Nigerians are good at forgiving, they will forgive him all his sins provided he gives us credible, free and fair election. I want to praise our security agencies, they are one of the fantastic security agencies across the world. The only thing they are lacking is leadership. Once we get the right leadership, which we are hoping, Atiku will bring, we will get everything right in terms of security in this country. Once Atiku wins he will ensure the right leadership and our security agencies will be better for it. I want to warn our leaders that power is transient, so they should try as much as possible to leave a good legacy like our heroes past. (Sunday Sun)

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