Yakassai Warns Tinubu Not To Form Unity Government

Alhaji Tanko Yakassai, a founding member of the Arewa Consultative Forum, has cautioned Bola Tinubu, the incoming president, not to succumb to pressure to establish a government of national unity.

Yakassai issued the caution in a media chat in his Abuja home on Wednesday.

A government of national unity is a broad coalition made up of all major parties, and it typically takes office during times of war or other serious national emergencies.

Dr. Kayode Fayemi, a former Ekiti governor and leader of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum, spoke out in favor of the democratic system on Wednesday. Also, some political analysts gave the same suggestion on the said day.

Yakasai, however, dismissed the suggestion, claiming that it would be detrimental to the growth of democracy.

“No, I won’t advise Tinubu to run any government of national unity. I want democracy to develop. Democracy is a business of competition. Repeal competition from democracy, you have killed democracy. Let everybody come with his program”, he said.

“After all, the electorate voted for him. Let him put his program into action. And where he concludes his part, let the man coming after him build from where the previous man stopped. This is how you develop a country. And this is how this house we are staying in was built. They did the foundation, after the structure, the vanishing of the house, painting, and the rest of them. That is how you practice democracy. This is how it should also be done in nation-building. It is what people all over the world are doing and this is what we should be doing.”

With 8,794,726 total votes, Tinubu defeated Peter Obi of the Labour Party (6,101,533 votes) and Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (6,984,520 votes), according to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).