Dr Yunusa Tanko is the National Coordinator of the Obidient Movement. In this interview, he speaks on the recent attack on some chieftains of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) by hoodlums in Edo State, among other issues, ANAYO EZUGWU reports
There have been many versions of what happened in Benin, the state capital, where some chieftains of the ADC were attacked. Some have blamed the incident on the crisis within the party, while others said it is about thuggery in Edo State?
Mr. Peter Obi, in his normal characteristic manner, visited Edo State. In visiting Edo State, he had two agendas. First was to visit St. Philomena Science and Nursing College. The second event was to welcome the former governorship candidate of Labour Party, Olumide Apata, to the ADC. He arrived very early in the morning, and then we went straight to St. Philomena Science and Nursing College. At that place, we had a wonderful reception.
The students were so excited that Obi revisited them again based on the promise he made that he’s going to revisit them to continue his support to the school and donated the sum of N15 million. After that, we went back to the hotel to wait for a moment before go straight to the venue of the ADC event. Naturally, it is expected that Obi should visit the leaders of the political party that he belongs to. So, we went straight to Chief John Oyegun’s house.
Chief Oyegun warmly welcomed us and then we assessed if there were any issues whatsoever, and those issues that assumed internally was quickly resolved, and everybody was with us. We went straight to the venue. So, as far as we are concerned, those who are claiming there were internal issues whatsoever, nothing like that happened because Chief Oyegun, Prof. Oserheimen Osunbor and others went with us to the venue. And I must say here that we were warmly received by enthusiastic members of the political party, hundreds of them.
When we started the programme, information reached us that there were hoodlums heading towards us to disrupt the event. So, the Master of Ceremony and leaders of the party hurriedly managed the situation, and then we concluded our programme successfully and left. Five minutes after we left and while we were at Chief Oyegun’s house, information reached us that the party’s secretariat was under attack.
At that point, we reassessed the situation. Our leaders looked at what can be done to quickly call the security agencies to rush to the secretariat in order to protect lives and property. It was expected that the state should have been the number one security to protect the lives and property at that venue but that did not happen. So, it comes to my imagination that had it been that they met us in that particular venue, a three storey building , the kind of pandemonium that would have happened, lives would have been lost.
You said that you would have expected that at least the contingent would have had some form of protection from the state. We know that the governor of Edo State has given advisory for politically exposed people to notify authorities when they are coming in their numbers. Was this done when you were coming?
For us, coming from the governor’s statement, which somebody reposted, it was a clear attempt of assassination. It may be direct or indirect. That is the way I feel because you’re talking about Akpata, a former chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), who knows the rules and regulations of our country, cannot and will not subject himself to unconstitutionality.
And he is a law-abiding person, so everything that needed to be done must have been done by the leadership of the party. Inviting Obi to this particular very important programme of his must have been done with due diligence.
Being a governor means you are governing the state, and in governing the state, you protect the interests of every citizen
But I must say that the government failed in its responsibility as enshrined in Chapter 2 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria that government must protect lives and property. Let’s assume that even if you have not been notified; it is the duty of the government to protect the lives and property at that particular venue.
It was public knowledge that such event is going to take place. So, they failed in their duty, or deliberately so, because I remember General Sani Abacha saying that if you see a crime being committed and the government did not respond within 24 hours, then the government has a hand in it.
Was there any indication based on the language of the hoodlums or what they said or how they dressed that linked them to the state government?
Well, it’s good that we speak on facts. I was inside the house, and when we came out, they’ve already concluded what they wanted to do at that point and they ran off. So, we couldn’t have assessed, probably hearing them, what they may have said or so. But it’s a daring attack. What kind of level of courage and determination would anybody have to come to a GRA, the resident of a former governor, with two other governors, and then you shoot at them?
Can they be just hoodlums on the streets? Obviously not! Something must have happened. So, we are clear on this. And you know what? We are just coming from an election on February 21, and our agent was killed in Abuja. So, it is a kind of a choreographed attempt on the lives of members of the opposition, and clearly, it is Obi that is the subject matter here.
Was Senator Ronald Owie in all of your meetings and was there a skirmish at Chief Oyegun’s house?
He was right there at the meeting. I’m talking about an 80-yearold man. I’m not aware of any skirmish. Normal internal issues, maybe discussion and all that may have happened. But as far as I’m concerned, I saw him at the venue and we’re talking about an 80-yearold person. He was right there at the venue. We shook hands. So, if there’s going to be a kind of an orchestrated attack, would he make an attack on himself when he knows that he cannot jump from a two- or three stoery building? That would be suicidal.
When you people got the alert that these hoodlums were going to attack, did you call the police?
Of course, we reported it to our people who were there, so that they can take it up. And that was why we left the place immediately we concluded our programme. What I mean by our people is that the security operatives who were with us were adequately informed.
The Edo State government in its statement, said what happened was an outflow of internal crisis within the ADC in the state and the name of Senator Roland Owie was mentioned. What do you have to say?
This is why it is very imperative and good that we have clean, fair and credible elections, where credible leaders who have leadership qualities should be in positions of power. Unfortunately, we don’t have such. And that is why the governor needs to have been guided in his utterances and how he speaks to the people that he is supposed to protect. Unfortunately, he did not have this particular character.
With all due respect, if a governor who is supposed to be the number one citizen of a state cannot guard his utterances and speak correctly to the people for them to understand, then he must be the number one accuser of probably of a kind of heinous crime against the state and against the people.
I say this with all due respect, because while Obi was performing his constitutional right of going to states as a political leader, which does not give any colouration in any way, he can’t be stopped. You remember that we had a similar situation in Benue State. So, it is not within any justifiable reason for Obi not to visit Edo State.
And I must say this; any time Obi visits Edo State, the reception he gets is unimaginable. You saw what happened at St. Philomena College. You saw the reception that Obi got at the secretariat of the ADC. So, the resistance by the state government is because of the fear of the governor probably losing his seat or seeing that people are loving another person as against his interests.
That’s how it happened, because really, when Obi is arriving in such a state, it is expected that security should be provided by him, whether he asks or he doesn’t ask. It is expected because he is a high-profile individual that you wouldn’t want anything to happen to him, not because of him alone, but because of your responsibility as a governor. That was not done. They look at him as an opponent rather than a colleague in a political space for good governance in Nigeria. We indulge this kind of situation, and we feel it’s normal. It is not normal.
And, of course, the party will take its decisive position to deal with these particular issues as it happens. They have the right to do an investigation and make their statement accordingly but what I want to push here is that it is expected that the governor should do due diligence and know his right as a governor, not as an opponent. There are two different things here. Some of them look at themselves as opponent to an opposition, rather than to perform their duties as governors. Being a governor means you are governing the state, and in governing the state, you protect the interests of every citizen
