Don’t reinvent tribal politics of old – Yakasai to Emir

 

Elder statesman, Alhaji Tanko Yakasai has strongly condemned Alhaji Umar Farooq Umar, the Emir of Daura, for allegedly calling on northerners to vote for their own in next year’s elections.

In a statement he personally issued, titled, “My reaction to Emir of Daura’s coded campaign message for PDP”, the elder statesman stated that it became inevitable to oppose what he called “the dangerous attempt to turn back history of the country whereby some traditional rulers will be used by some politicians as tools to promote negative trend in political campaigns”.

The elder statesman strongly advised the Emir not to allow himself to be used to destroy healthy political systems in Nigeria by reinventing tribal politics of old.

He explained that it was not only divisive, unhealthy, but outdated.

He condemned a similar comment allegedly made by a former minister of Agriculture, Alhaji Sani Zango Daura urging Northerners to vote for their own in the forthcoming election.

Yakasai said, “I have noticed an attempt by some political players trying to revive the already discarded practice where some politicians were using some misguided traditional rulers to use their exalted positions to engage into political campaigns to denigrate some parties in order to undermine their standing in the society.”

He added that he sees a conscious effort by the two foremost Northern leaders to destroy a pan-Nigerian dream where every citizen cannot nurse a legitimate ambition in the country.

He stressed that such negative tendencies and practices should be condemned by all well-meaning Nigerians.

He said though he is now an old man, he still has some strengths to fight such negative tendencies from raising their ugly heads in the present-day healthy political atmosphere.

He urged all Nigerians to join him in the fight.