Tanko Yakassi: Politician With A Mission
Elder Statesman and First Republic Politician, Alhaji Tanko Yakassai is an angry man these days. His anger comes from the unprincipled politics that are being promoted by some politicians that should know better.
He is particularly piqued by the way and manner President Goodluck Jonathan has decided to violate the constitution of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in his blind ambition to contest the 2011 presidential election on the platform of the party.
For his decision to contest the presidential election in 2011 PDP ticket, Yakassai is of the view that Jonathan is posing a present danger to the success of the party at the election as most principled leaders and voters are going to dump the party. To salvage the situation, he is a strong advocate of the retention of the zoning formula of the PDP which ceded power to the North till 2015.
To him, anything short of this is tantamount to treason on the part of Jonathan. He has said it severally that for Jonathan to come out and say that he is going to contest is a violation of all the decisions taken by the party on zoning and therefore amounts to anti-party activities.
In a recent interview, Yakassi recalled that “The PDP, right from 1998, decided for zoning and it was entrenched in the constitution of the party. The party extended caucus decided that the zoning would be for eight years. That is the power will stay in the south for eight years, after which it will come back to the North for another eight years. An attempt was made to change it in 2002 at the extended caucus of the PDP, where the former speaker, Ghali Na’Abba, moved a motion to discard zoning. After debates, the members that attended that extended meeting including the current president, Goodluck Jonathan who was then Deputy Governor of Bayelsa State, and who represented his governor (Diepriye Alamieyesiagha decided and Jonathan supported the continuation of the zoning and rotation in the party for eight years in the South and eight years in the North. It is there (written) in black and white and it was published in the newspapers.
“But going by the zoning arrangement in the PDP, only members from the North are entitled by the provision of the constitution of the party and by the decision of the organs of the party can aspire for the office of the president. The decision will be ultimately heeded by the party at the primaries and whoever emerges as the candidate will be the flag bearer of the party.”
Those who have come into contact with the veteran politician can attest that the above views have been the position of Yakassi and it is like a gospel he has been spreading. And he is ever ready to take on anybody who preaches contrary sermon.
The Elder statesman has remained focused and unshaken by the Shenanigan from the Jonathan’s camp. He has also taken it upon himself to counter the supporters of Jonathan who routinely attack those who stand for zoning.
When recently the former minister of Information and Ijaw leader, Chief Edwin Clark used uncomplimentary words to describe the co-convener of Northern Political leaders Forum (NPCF), Mallam Adamu Ciroma for the latter’s insistence that it was wrong for president Jonathan to contest the 2011 election in the platform of the PDP, saying the words used by the Ijaw leader was unbecoming of a lawyer of over 50 years at the Bar and a former minister of Information.
When the Director-General of Jonathan campaign organization, Dr. Dalhatu Sarki Tafida tried to distort history by claiming that the South-South always supported the North, it was Yakassai that drew the attention of the High commissioner to the Great Britain to the true story of the matter. Going through memory lane, he traced the relationship between the South-South and North and concluded by revealing that the zone’s support for President Shehu Shagari in 1979 was only a favour returned because as he put it the South-South was expressing their gratitude to the North for helping to defeat Biafra and therefore saved them from being “subjected to a perpetual slavery” by the Biafrans.
Yakassai, who cannot stand distortion of history, also frowns at illegalities when he sees one. The veteran politician was the first to draw attention to the illegality of President Jonathan campaign Fund Raising Dinner in Abuja last Friday. He faulted the raising of N500 million by the president when he has not yet been confirmed as a candidate for the 2011 election in violation of the Electoral Act, 2011.
He told this paper: “In the first place, I don’t know what he is going to do with it. He is an aspirant, he is not yet a candidate and it’s only when he becomes a candidate that he would begin to look for money so that he could fulfill his electoral ambition.
“But for an aspirant to collect such a huge amount of money, I have my doubts. I don’t know whether this is a cover up. However, people are alleging that some contractors are paying some money to fund the ambition of the president.”
The above interview was conducted on Yakassai’s way to Abuja and you will think that at his age, when he gets to the capital city, he would rest his body, but not this crusader for change in Aso Rock villa in 2011. The next day, he was on the road again on his way to Makurdi, the Benue State capital. His mission; to join in the campaign to persuade the people of Benue to keep away from the wrong path they are being propelled by their governor Chief Gabriel Suswam who has become the biggest cheerleader for Jonathan’s campaign.
For subjecting his aging body to the torture of traversing the country in pursuit of the democratic ideals be believe in when even younger and energetic men have sold their birth right for a mesh of porridge, Yakassai has been acknowledged as a hero of democracy.
He is particularly piqued by the way and manner President Goodluck Jonathan has decided to violate the constitution of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in his blind ambition to contest the 2011 presidential election on the platform of the party.
For his decision to contest the presidential election in 2011 PDP ticket, Yakassai is of the view that Jonathan is posing a present danger to the success of the party at the election as most principled leaders and voters are going to dump the party. To salvage the situation, he is a strong advocate of the retention of the zoning formula of the PDP which ceded power to the North till 2015.
To him, anything short of this is tantamount to treason on the part of Jonathan. He has said it severally that for Jonathan to come out and say that he is going to contest is a violation of all the decisions taken by the party on zoning and therefore amounts to anti-party activities.
In a recent interview, Yakassi recalled that “The PDP, right from 1998, decided for zoning and it was entrenched in the constitution of the party. The party extended caucus decided that the zoning would be for eight years. That is the power will stay in the south for eight years, after which it will come back to the North for another eight years. An attempt was made to change it in 2002 at the extended caucus of the PDP, where the former speaker, Ghali Na’Abba, moved a motion to discard zoning. After debates, the members that attended that extended meeting including the current president, Goodluck Jonathan who was then Deputy Governor of Bayelsa State, and who represented his governor (Diepriye Alamieyesiagha decided and Jonathan supported the continuation of the zoning and rotation in the party for eight years in the South and eight years in the North. It is there (written) in black and white and it was published in the newspapers.
“But going by the zoning arrangement in the PDP, only members from the North are entitled by the provision of the constitution of the party and by the decision of the organs of the party can aspire for the office of the president. The decision will be ultimately heeded by the party at the primaries and whoever emerges as the candidate will be the flag bearer of the party.”
Those who have come into contact with the veteran politician can attest that the above views have been the position of Yakassi and it is like a gospel he has been spreading. And he is ever ready to take on anybody who preaches contrary sermon.
The Elder statesman has remained focused and unshaken by the Shenanigan from the Jonathan’s camp. He has also taken it upon himself to counter the supporters of Jonathan who routinely attack those who stand for zoning.
When recently the former minister of Information and Ijaw leader, Chief Edwin Clark used uncomplimentary words to describe the co-convener of Northern Political leaders Forum (NPCF), Mallam Adamu Ciroma for the latter’s insistence that it was wrong for president Jonathan to contest the 2011 election in the platform of the PDP, saying the words used by the Ijaw leader was unbecoming of a lawyer of over 50 years at the Bar and a former minister of Information.
When the Director-General of Jonathan campaign organization, Dr. Dalhatu Sarki Tafida tried to distort history by claiming that the South-South always supported the North, it was Yakassai that drew the attention of the High commissioner to the Great Britain to the true story of the matter. Going through memory lane, he traced the relationship between the South-South and North and concluded by revealing that the zone’s support for President Shehu Shagari in 1979 was only a favour returned because as he put it the South-South was expressing their gratitude to the North for helping to defeat Biafra and therefore saved them from being “subjected to a perpetual slavery” by the Biafrans.
Yakassai, who cannot stand distortion of history, also frowns at illegalities when he sees one. The veteran politician was the first to draw attention to the illegality of President Jonathan campaign Fund Raising Dinner in Abuja last Friday. He faulted the raising of N500 million by the president when he has not yet been confirmed as a candidate for the 2011 election in violation of the Electoral Act, 2011.
He told this paper: “In the first place, I don’t know what he is going to do with it. He is an aspirant, he is not yet a candidate and it’s only when he becomes a candidate that he would begin to look for money so that he could fulfill his electoral ambition.
“But for an aspirant to collect such a huge amount of money, I have my doubts. I don’t know whether this is a cover up. However, people are alleging that some contractors are paying some money to fund the ambition of the president.”
The above interview was conducted on Yakassai’s way to Abuja and you will think that at his age, when he gets to the capital city, he would rest his body, but not this crusader for change in Aso Rock villa in 2011. The next day, he was on the road again on his way to Makurdi, the Benue State capital. His mission; to join in the campaign to persuade the people of Benue to keep away from the wrong path they are being propelled by their governor Chief Gabriel Suswam who has become the biggest cheerleader for Jonathan’s campaign.
For subjecting his aging body to the torture of traversing the country in pursuit of the democratic ideals be believe in when even younger and energetic men have sold their birth right for a mesh of porridge, Yakassai has been acknowledged as a hero of democracy.
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