Ctorch:
The National Coordinator , Nigeria Unity Forum , an umbrella body of Tinubu- Not -Negotiable 2023 , Mr Mutiu Okunola , tells MUDIAGA AFFE about plans to project the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress , Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, for the 2023 presidential race, among other issues

Ahead of the 2023 election , different groups, including yours , have started canvassing for a presidential aspirant ; don ’t you think it is too early ?

People are misconstruing our movement for a campaign but this is Nigeria Unity Forum which cuts across Nigeria . Other groups are campaigning for sectional leadership ; they do not have the national reach unlike us . We are trying to reform the system because we have identified some lacunas in the Nigerian constitution and the political class which we are trying to correct . What we are doing is structure formation that cuts across the country irrespective of religion , tribe , political affiliation or education . We believe in one Nigeria and we respect the individual opinion of all Nigerians irrespective of where they belong. We sure know that nobody will debar our progress . This forum is the mother body of the TNN (Tinubu - Not -Negotiable ) and the project at hand is that we are in support of is power rotation because we believe in using political solutions to unite the country. All the factors that bind Nigeria together are no more there except power rotation. The federal character in terms of appointment is no more there because the President is empowered by the Constitution to appoint whosoever he deems fit . The only singular reason why we are still together is power rotation and whatever treatment that might have been meted when it is your turn you could do the same . Power rotation is sacrosanct for the unity of Nigeria . We should not make the mistake because it is the only factor that has held us together since 1960 , anything other than that is war .


But a group in the North recently said that the region would hold on to power in the 2023 presidential election , what is your reaction to that ?

That position taken by that group is not that of the North in general . It is for the reason of reaching out to all parts of the country that we have started this movement . That position might be the thinking of some elites in the region that are advocates of divide and rule system . If you look at the configuration of Nigeria today , you will notice national spread by all the ethnic groups in different parts of the country and we have been coexisting with the troubles . But when it comes to elections the elite will always throw up power play because it is to their advantage. Most of those who propagate such positions are misfits who have not done anything for the benefits of the generality of Nigerians . They are trying to use people who are not fit to keep ruling the country so that they will continue to siphon our resources .

There is also the argument that if the South is to produce the President in 2023 , it should be given to the South - East , what is your view on that ?

Presently we have the North and South structure in terms of rotation . We can only start talking of regions when we have become advanced in our democratic practice . So , if it is the North or South, you will have to place yourself in a vantage position that you can take charge . Yes , if the South- East is agitating for power , I must state that they are long overdue for it, but power is not served on a platter of gold. In honouring the tradition of power rotation , we must follow the principle of democracy through voting. If the ruling party , APC, out of sentiment zones it ticket to a region where it does not have relevance , it may not work. Take note that we do not have any APC governor in the five South - East states , and we know what the power of incumbency is all about . If the South- East wants power , they know the party that they have worked for because as of today they are predominantly PDP states . So , they should struggle that position from the former presidential candidate , Atiku ( Abubakar ) to bring the power to the South . They cannot tell us (South -West) not to aspire but they too have the right to set up a movement that will be logical to the political realities on the ground . We believe in the unity of our country and we believe in using a political solution to solve our problem , but not by war or sentiment or religious consideration and that is what we stand for as a group . If we ( APC) give it to the South - East , any minority party will win the election.


So how far have you been able to propagate the National Leader of the APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu through the TNN ?
I am not emphasising on the party , but TNN is Tinubu - Not - Negotiable , same is the issue of power rotation . We arrived at using Tinubu as our standpoint because you cannot sell a product without a price tag ; we cannot operate on a blank cheque . What we are saying is that if the power comes to the South, it should be Tinubu . If we are clamouring for power rotation to the South , then we should know the candidate that we aspire to give the power to and it is on that note that we have tagged our movement as TNN 2023 . If the power rotates , we should let our northern brother know that it is going to this person. If the South -East wants to do the same thing then they must also project someone with the capacity to contest for President . However , antecedents matter ; we have to reward those who worked and placed themselves in a position of leadership. Tinubu was a former governor of Lagos State for eight years and he has built structures and placed people in positions of authority . Any person who has ruled Lagos can govern the country because the state has the largest gathering of all the tribes in Nigeria . We should begin to look at the precedents of our leaders before we elect them. We should look for leaders who do not have tribal or religious sentiments just like my mentor , MKO Abiola .


In 2015 when the present regime of the President , Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd . ), came into power , he promised to tackle insecurity . How well has the government fulfilled that promise?

We should not politicise the issue of insecurity in Nigeria and that is why I said that our movement would try to use the political solution to solving our problems . Power rotation is one of the tools that can be used to address the problem of insecurity in the country. We are craving for Tinubu to address some of these challenges . When former President Olusegun Obasanjo came into office , he was faced with the challenge of the Oodua People Congress members that were terrorising the South - West, he tried to find solutions but they were not forthcoming until the power rotated to the late Umaru Yar ’ Adua and Dr Goodluck Jonathan . Immediately the power went to the North under Yar ’ Adua , the issue of Boko Haram started and the Niger Delta unrest became high too. But Yar ’ Adua addressed the issue of Niger Delta militants by granting amnesty but when he died the problem of militancy escalated under Jonathan because he is from the region . When Jonathan left and Buhari came in , the issue militancy went underground and Boko Haram became the major matter again . This Boko Haram issue is still there because the President is from that region . I am sure that the moment power rotates to the South all those issues will vanish immediately. But it should be noted that between 1999 and 2007 when other governors in the South - West were using ethnic militias , Tinubu never engaged them.


https://punchng.com/apcll-lose-if-igbo-gets-2023-presidential-ticket-okunola-tnn-coordinator/?fbclid=IwAR0ZdZW8db0GY2bBqZbyn7KXt99bbPhee0lpV6JJku8ntAEi55BTGqR6uqQ

LabDNA:
Very good, Tinubu and his goons have now openly attacked the interest of the East in APC, he is saying that the Ngiges, Ogbonnayas, Amaechis, Ositas, Igbokwes in APC are all slaves who should not be voted for, abi when is the right time for an Easterner to lead, after SW have ruled from 1999-2007 if not now.

I think he is fair game to be thrown under the bus by the SE SS region. If him and his greed will prevail, I pray he gets the ticket and then face a Northern candidate+ SE+ SS region in PDP, which he can't survive, even Awolowo who was more reputable than him couldn't survive against such alliance.

If the ticket can't come East, then it means there is no zoning, and the North can also contest and keep it. More reason I've always maintained that PDP must wait for APC to zone their ticket before picking their candidate.

May God keep us alive till 2023.

mrvitalis:
Hypocrisy is when u want presidency to be zoned to south ,the zone that gave small votes to the point that even if u remove all the votes from south he still won

But is against it being zoned to south east because they have buhari low votes

North east gave buhari more votes than south combined so deserve it based on south west logic

If zoning is not to south east then its not zoning , the door is open for everyone to contest

LabDNA:
Very good, Tinubu and his goons have now openly attacked the interest of the East in APC, he is saying that the Ngiges, Ogbonnayas, Amaechis, Ositas, Igbokwes in APC are all slaves who should not be voted for, abi when is the right time for an Easterner to lead, after SW have ruled from 1999-2007 if not now.

I think he is fair game to be thrown under the bus by the SESS region. If him and his greed will prevail, I pray he gets the ticket and then face a Northern candidate+ SE+ SS region in PDP, which he can't survive, even Awolowo who was more reputable than him couldn't survive against such alliance.

If the ticket can't come East, then it means there is no zoning, and the North can also contest and keep it. More reason I've always maintained that PDP must wait for APC to zone their ticket before picking their candidate.

May God keep us alive till 2023.

Area4Area:
Continue your zoning in the PDP that Igbo politicians destroyed earlier and let PDP zone the presidency to the SE, the SW and APC hasn't told you they are zoning

BuhariAdvocate:
Amechi is not an igbo man for the point of correction.
And we in south south we support southwest in 2023.

Area4Area:
Can't the SE do anything without attaching to others?

mrvitalis:

Lol obasanjo is now Igbo right ?
Tinubu is now Igbo right ?

2011 is not to far we all know what happened ...saying Igbo's killed zoning is laughable

Area4Area:
FYI, for the 1999 and 2003 general elections, power wasn't zoned to any geopolitical zone in PDP but it was in 2007 that it was implemented and the NW under late Yar'Adua being the first beneficiary.
It was unfortunately destroyed by SE politicians in 2011 because of GEJ.

Ctorch:
The National Coordinator , Nigeria Unity Forum , an umbrella body of Tinubu- Not -Negotiable 2023 , Mr Mutiu Okunola , tells MUDIAGA AFFE about plans to project the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress , Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, for the 2023 presidential race, among other issues

Ahead of the 2023 election , different groups, including yours , have started canvassing for a presidential aspirant ; don ’t you think it is too early ?

People are misconstruing our movement for a campaign but this is Nigeria Unity Forum which cuts across Nigeria . Other groups are campaigning for sectional leadership ; they do not have the national reach unlike us . We are trying to reform the system because we have identified some lacunas in the Nigerian constitution and the political class which we are trying to correct . What we are doing is structure formation that cuts across the country irrespective of religion , tribe , political affiliation or education . We believe in one Nigeria and we respect the individual opinion of all Nigerians irrespective of where they belong. We sure know that nobody will debar our progress . This forum is the mother body of the TNN (Tinubu - Not -Negotiable ) and the project at hand is that we are in support of is power rotation because we believe in using political solutions to unite the country. All the factors that bind Nigeria together are no more there except power rotation. The federal character in terms of appointment is no more there because the President is empowered by the Constitution to appoint whosoever he deems fit . The only singular reason why we are still together is power rotation and whatever treatment that might have been meted when it is your turn you could do the same . Power rotation is sacrosanct for the unity of Nigeria . We should not make the mistake because it is the only factor that has held us together since 1960 , anything other than that is war .


But a group in the North recently said that the region would hold on to power in the 2023 presidential election , what is your reaction to that ?

That position taken by that group is not that of the North in general . It is for the reason of reaching out to all parts of the country that we have started this movement . That position might be the thinking of some elites in the region that are advocates of divide and rule system . If you look at the configuration of Nigeria today , you will notice national spread by all the ethnic groups in different parts of the country and we have been coexisting with the troubles . But when it comes to elections the elite will always throw up power play because it is to their advantage. Most of those who propagate such positions are misfits who have not done anything for the benefits of the generality of Nigerians . They are trying to use people who are not fit to keep ruling the country so that they will continue to siphon our resources .

There is also the argument that if the South is to produce the President in 2023 , it should be given to the South - East , what is your view on that ?

Presently we have the North and South structure in terms of rotation . We can only start talking of regions when we have become advanced in our democratic practice . So , if it is the North or South, you will have to place yourself in a vantage position that you can take charge . Yes , if the South- East is agitating for power , I must state that they are long overdue for it, but power is not served on a platter of gold. In honouring the tradition of power rotation , we must follow the principle of democracy through voting. If the ruling party , APC, out of sentiment zones it ticket to a region where it does not have relevance , it may not work. Take note that we do not have any APC governor in the five South - East states , and we know what the power of incumbency is all about . If the South- East wants power , they know the party that they have worked for because as of today they are predominantly PDP states . So , they should struggle that position from the former presidential candidate , Atiku ( Abubakar ) to bring the power to the South . They cannot tell us (South -West) not to aspire but they too have the right to set up a movement that will be logical to the political realities on the ground . We believe in the unity of our country and we believe in using a political solution to solve our problem , but not by war or sentiment or religious consideration and that is what we stand for as a group . If we ( APC) give it to the South - East , any minority party will win the election.


So how far have you been able to propagate the National Leader of the APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu through the TNN ?
I am not emphasising on the party , but TNN is Tinubu - Not - Negotiable , same is the issue of power rotation . We arrived at using Tinubu as our standpoint because you cannot sell a product without a price tag ; we cannot operate on a blank cheque . What we are saying is that if the power comes to the South, it should be Tinubu . If we are clamouring for power rotation to the South , then we should know the candidate that we aspire to give the power to and it is on that note that we have tagged our movement as TNN 2023 . If the power rotates , we should let our northern brother know that it is going to this person. If the South -East wants to do the same thing then they must also project someone with the capacity to contest for President . However , antecedents matter ; we have to reward those who worked and placed themselves in a position of leadership. Tinubu was a former governor of Lagos State for eight years and he has built structures and placed people in positions of authority . Any person who has ruled Lagos can govern the country because the state has the largest gathering of all the tribes in Nigeria . We should begin to look at the precedents of our leaders before we elect them. We should look for leaders who do not have tribal or religious sentiments just like my mentor , MKO Abiola .


In 2015 when the present regime of the President , Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd . ), came into power , he promised to tackle insecurity . How well has the government fulfilled that promise?

We should not politicise the issue of insecurity in Nigeria and that is why I said that our movement would try to use the political solution to solving our problems . Power rotation is one of the tools that can be used to address the problem of insecurity in the country. We are craving for Tinubu to address some of these challenges . When former President Olusegun Obasanjo came into office , he was faced with the challenge of the Oodua People Congress members that were terrorising the South - West, he tried to find solutions but they were not forthcoming until the power rotated to the late Umaru Yar ’ Adua and Dr Goodluck Jonathan . Immediately the power went to the North under Yar ’ Adua , the issue of Boko Haram started and the Niger Delta unrest became high too. But Yar ’ Adua addressed the issue of Niger Delta militants by granting amnesty but when he died the problem of militancy escalated under Jonathan because he is from the region . When Jonathan left and Buhari came in , the issue militancy went underground and Boko Haram became the major matter again . This Boko Haram issue is still there because the President is from that region . I am sure that the moment power rotates to the South all those issues will vanish immediately. But it should be noted that between 1999 and 2007 when other governors in the South - West were using ethnic militias , Tinubu never engaged them.


https://punchng.com/apcll-lose-if-igbo-gets-2023-presidential-ticket-okunola-tnn-coordinator/?fbclid=IwAR0ZdZW8db0GY2bBqZbyn7KXt99bbPhee0lpV6JJku8ntAEi55BTGqR6uqQ

goodnessme1:
Of course they will loose.





They only thing that units yorubas and hausafulanis is hatred for Igbos.

Goodluck lost second term not because his Government is too bad but because he added Igbos go his government.imagine making an Igbo the chief of army staff.
His only crime is involving igbos who yoruba and hausafulanis
love to hate.
Did he performed worst than buhari but buhari was relected.


I only pity Igbos that still believe in one nigeria chant.

EagleNest:
Nigeria should use this opportunity to shop for best presidential material that can lift Nigeira from dungeon. It could be from any tribe, as far as he or she has the capability. Of course, not the Tinubus' and ElRufais' of this world, or likes.

However, if current structural status quo applies, then the SE is naturally favoured to produce a president to lead Nigeria for 4-8 years, as it is their trun to lead. Let's be fair to them!