By Billy Graham Abel, Yola
The National President of the Northern Youth Leaders Forum (NYLF), the umbrella body for 42 Northern groups, Comrade Elliot Afiyo, has said that his group is set to endorse the presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, his All Progressives Congress (APC) counterpart, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu or the Labour Party (LP) candidate, Mr Peter Obi, as its choice for the February 25 presidential election.
The forum, which has the backing of the Northern political, economic, military and traditional rulers since 1994 has been unarguably the most powerful political group in the North that is firmly rooted in the nothern rural areas and accounting for over 70 per cent of Northern votes.
The 6th national president of NYLF bared his mind on the 2023 presidential elections and other burning national issues in this interview in his hometown, Girei, Adamawa State.
Merry Christmas sir. We observed that after the meeting with your patrons, you decided to be silent. What is the problem?
I don’t think there is any silence. May be you have not been able to watch or listen to the international media organizations. The truth of the matter is that our patrons especially the former leaders are divided. While some of the former military leaders are rooting for Obi, some are rooting for Atiku while the traditional rulers are rooting for Tinubu. The patrons are divided into three major blocs and this development is giving us major concern. Thank God that these issues were resolved to a certain extent after our meeting with them two weeks ago.
It is rumored that your forum will finally endorse Bola Tinubu instead of Atiku or Obi. Is it true?
Well, you know that our forum stands for justice and fairness. We have been adhering to that especially in 2003, and 2011 when we stood and supported southern candidates against a northern candidate. We jointly reviewed the political developments with our patrons and putting the collective interest of the nations, the forum was directed to nominate one candidate and present such candidate to our patrons for endorsement. We had a meeting with our zonal and state coordinators yesterday and a decision was taken that all the state coordinators should organize their state NEC and submit their nominees to the political committee who will in turn submit to the NEC for final presentation to our patrons. The most important aspect of this decision is that all our patrons have unanimously agreed to drop their personal interests and support whoever that is endorsed.
When are we expecting the final endorsement?
We are meeting with all our patrons at Minna in two weeks’ time and we will address the press thereafter. Definitely, whoever that is endorsed, becomes the next president by the grace of God and we must have genuine and convincing reasons to justify our endorsement.
But we can see a particular candidate pulling crowd and even some supporters of other candidates shouting his name during their campaigns?
Don’t be carried away by such developments. All the candidates are renting the same crowd. The same people are being sponsored to embarrass other candidates during their campaigns. All our states coordinators used to send reports after every rally in their states. Some APC governors are working for Atiku just like some PDP governors apart from the G5, are also working for Tinubu. What you see or observe during rallies is not the reflection of what is going to happen. Nigerian electorate especially the northern electorate are more enlightened now. They listen to Imams and Pastors, but will definitely not obeying them anymore. The result of the 2023 presidential elections will shock everybody even the key players just like 1993.
Are you saying that the results of 2023 will be contrary to expectations?
Quite contrary to expectations of the conservatives. One thing is sure, if at all the elections would be held, Nigerians from all over the world will feel the sense of belonging, togetherliness and brotherliness after the results are declared.
From your analysis, it seems we are going to witness a lot of betrayals?
Are we not witnessing high levels of betrayals now. Looking at what is happening in and around the leading candidates, genuine loyalists are completely barricaded from accessing the candidates but one. The hypocrites, liars, failed politicians are now members of their inner circles. Though 98 per cent of politicians prefer lies to the truth, if you tell them lies, they will embrace and easily believe you, but if you tell them truth, you are automatically a suspect and not worthy to be trusted and as such should be kept at a distance with a concurrent monitoring. This is why today I am not embraced fully by any of them unless after their retirements because I have no any other interest, but national interest, therefore, I must tell them the truth.
Is that why you are poor?
Hahaha. I am not poor by any standard. I can eat anything I want to eat, drink anything I want to drink. Sleep in anywhere I want to sleep. I am fully in charge of my family responsibilities. I am assisting the less privileged in the society. I can visit any local government in the North without paying for accommodation, feeding or logistics because at least 20 of our members will be struggling to outsmart each other in paying my bills. Today, if I want to visit any former president, serving governor or traditional ruler, I don’t need to book an appointment because they know that I will never request for anything.
Comrade, it is a known fact that you are very close to Atiku. What will you do if he is not endorsed by your Forum?
My closeness to Atiku will never stop me from carrying out the mandate of the Forum. Relationship, tribe or religion will never be considered by me when it comes to national political or economic interest. I was close to Atiku and we belong to Adamawa State, yet I worked against him in 2007. My house in Kaduna was completely burnt down with four of my cars because of Atiku. My house in Abuja and Yola were revoked and taken away because of Atiku. Yet, I supported him in 2014 without asking for a dime. I only complained to him through Garba Shehu, the present presidential spokesman. Nothing was done and I am not bothered. I supported Bala Mohammed against Atiku before PDP’s primaries because our forum endorsed Bola Mohammed. A strong and united forum was handed over to me 14 years ago and by next year June, I will be completing my third term of five years and I must handover a more united, vibrant, focused and virile Forum to my successor by His grace. This is why I must not compromise the national to ethnic, regional or religious sentiments.