 A.P.C. Orhanese Tackler, Tikku Overcomments at Arawa Forum. A.K.T. Govno or Yabanji rolls out six-point agenda. And this is Plus Politics. I am Mary Anacom. Controversy has trailed comments of the People's Democratic Party, PDP, Presidential Candidate Alhagia Tikua Buboka, who reportedly advised northerners to reject Yoruba or Ibu presidency in 2023 polls. Tikku was responding to questions posed by northern leaders during the Arawa Joint Committee Interactive Session, comprising the Arawa Consultative Forum, Northern Elders Forum, Samadu Bailu Memorial Foundation, Jamia Matan Arawa, Arawa Research and Development Project and Other Buddies Parley with Presidential Candidate at the Arawa House on Saturday. Now the PDP flag bearer while appealing for the support of the Arawa leaders said, I have traversed the whole of this country. I think that an average northerner needs, what the average northerner needs is somebody who is from the north and who also understands the various parts of Nigeria and who has been able to build bridges across the various parts of the country. Now reacting to that, the Yohanez-Indibu in a statement by its Secretary General, Masio Kechuku Isiguzoro, said that Atiku's utterances had finished whatever was left of the PDP. APC also abraded Atiku over his comment. Now the party's National Publicity Secretary, Felix Moka remarked that Atiku's position spoke volumes that he was unfit to administer the country, arguing that Atiku's posture at the Arawa Town Hall Policy Dialogue in Kaduna was an attack on national unity. Joining us to discuss this is Alex Obunahis, National Publicity Secretary Yohanez-Indibu and of course Osse Aneni who is a PDP chieftain. Thank you so much gentlemen for joining us. Glad to be here. Great. Osse, I'll start with you because you're of course a PDP member and you obviously are from the south south of the country. When your presidential candidate said what he said, how did that sit well with you? He was stupid and very stupid over demographies. I'm even saying that if I don't vote for ethnic identity, don't vote for a Yoruba candidate, don't vote for a Yoruba candidate, but vote for me, a pan-Nigerian, northern, who can still do this across the nation. Atiku has always put himself forward as a unifier, as a person who can appeal our decisions that have never been as wild as they are today. In 2019, Yohanez-Indibu embraced him and recognized that state of being. Aleppo doesn't change his thought. Atiku has always had a pan-Nigerian vision for on Nigeria. So I understand that we are in political season. I understand that the media have maybe a larger appetite for sensationalism. But maybe the better strategy is that we spoke about so many other things that could affect the lives of the others in Nigeria. We spoke about the structuring, we talked about the dilution of power, about state police, about women's inclusion, about the flooding and how he was addressed it. But we just want to set the sound by taking up a context to paint in roads that we don't inform. It's funny hearing for instance the APC condemn the statement again taking up a context. When their presidential candidate was seen saying, it is my turn, it is the turn of Yohanez. So I'm curious, I'm curious Osir. So because one party did it, I mean this is an election season that we're going into and asking for the messaging to be as unifying as possible. But then here you are speaking for the PDP saying, well if party A did this why should we not do it? Is that the kind of idea we want to run with in this political season? Because you're saying that the media also seems to be playing for soundbite. But then there were people who were at that forum who heard whether he said 101 good things and then said the average northerner needs a northerner. You don't think that that would one way or the other tick the senses of every other person who may not be a northerner? I think the question you just asked me makes my point perfect. What I said was that I think it's a real northerner who asks him why he's a northerner because of me. Because even though I'm a northerner, both for me because I'm from Nigeria and who can build bridges across the nation. That's what he said. He didn't say both for me because I'm a northerner and don't vote for others because of their identity. But did he not say that as a northerner what a northerner needs is a northerner? What exactly do you think he meant by that? By saying well because I'm because you guys are northerners what you need is a northerner and everything else that came after that. Couldn't he have said that what you need is a unifier? What you need is someone who can build bridges other than saying what you need is a northerner. Don't you think it's a very sensitive statement? Sincerely? Again the question that you are asking is the world of context. He was asked a question based on ethnic identity. He was asked why should I and northerners vote for you? And he elevated the conversation to your ethnic identity because don't vote for ethnic identity. Both for people with a Nigerian vision and perspective who can build bridges and who can unify. But that isn't important. Okay let me let me throw this to Mr Buona. Mr Buona can you hear me? Mr Buona can you hear me? Well I don't think that we have Mr Buona so let me stay with you Osir. Now let's look at other issues. Now recently we the deputy governor of Lagos State was quoted to have said that a certain political party and its candidate should take its campaign to where he's from. And these are some of the divisive statements that the former president of Lusheckon-Basenjo has spoken against. He has said that the messaging coming from politicians has to be very deliberate, well thought out because these messaging could one way or the other make all Mars as a country. Again I ask as we start off this campaign season what should be the watchword of these political figures especially those who are running to for the highest seats in this country? I think you know we are maybe too little into the start of that campaign and candidates are already a short business. So if I come up here and talk about the empire, everybody knows what's going on. And I think it's important that our people have a manifesto called the unity scheme. It's unity to seriously economy, education and evolution of power. The first thing is unity. The only word in that app coming that it spells out is unity because you recognize that Nigeria is divided and before you can speak, any other thing will not come together for English. So it's wrong to honestly when I see people trying to put narrative that they want to put an ethnic agenda, it isn't the one. In a book it's reported that having thrown up the South East because it's on the South East. People are reported that having thrown up the South East because it's on the South East. The only country running who they say is not northern enough to have thrown up the South to north and he's not liberal enough to have thrown up the South is my candidate because he's the only one running with Nigerian accent. He's the only one who's using to adopt ethnic or religious programs and he would help with the self-recognizing and didn't fall for the big big headlines that the APC and other parts of the country. That's what I would do. Now, Oaneze of course has reacted to this. The APC has also said that what he said was disingenuous. Now you have already shut that down because you're saying that we're taking it out of context. I did listen to the representative of the campaign who said that this particular statement was taken out of context but now that the campaign train has set itself rolling and Artigo will be seen speaking more and more about issues that one way or the other would help the average Nigerian to vote for him or not. I want to ask you as a member of the PDP, when we talk as Nigerians about a unifier, what do you think the characteristics of a unifier is and can we find those characteristics in your candidate? Yeah, Oaneze called the statement that an Islam of the later age considered that 14th of the sensitivity of the city's majority of Nigerians. So in Nigeria, there is this most cultural relationship that has to be managed with the Koroom. Somebody that has seen the height of the right hand of Nigeria and very much food in Nigerian politics will need a second of him to have used such a ethnic tax, you know, to make his candidacy. So we find that he's also trying to gain out his mind. His mind says, you know, his reasoning, the thing that he sees belongs to that that he sees is one meter oligarchy, you know, where they can confuse or something and market it and everything is dying. So something like this, we are trying to remind him that of all the emotive persons, it's so ethnic that it's going to make for the world that is dying. I'll correct that, I'll tell you what I'm going to tell you about the redemption of this country, how to recover the taxes for the different generations. Somebody who has the expectations, somebody who has the credentials, somebody who has the reputation for accomplishment, that's what Nigeria is looking for now. So just here in the region has also done a lot of work. It is no longer in the past where somebody can come in and impose on everything, but before you know it, you need to change the tune. So we are constantly remarked by the second year by, I think I'll go back to that, I don't expect the same, some reason that we've been speaking with Osir Anose Singh, just as of course the representative of the party had said earlier today that these things that we are interpreting had been taken out of context, that he was answering a question that was posed to him as a northerner. Why should a northerner vote for you? Hence his response, but you're saying that this is a calculated attempt, which you are kicking against. But Osir saying that this was quoted out of context, it was not necessarily what he intended to say. But again, I want to ask you because you said that this is not what Nigeria wants. And you have listed the characteristics that you think the Nigerians of today need. And I'm wondering, you do not think that Atiku Abubaka has these characteristics, not even one of them? When you talk about taking out some context, that's the way that to come in and how to see those, that sometimes people have to realize that some of them have to watch it on video. When you pronounce Osir Anose Singh, that it was a joke. There will be two sense of cheating. Osir Anose Singh are not expected. So when I had the chance to deny it, I had taken my energy to say joke. You have to go for that. But Osir Anose Singh from Nigeria, that it was a serious mistake. He was not intended to say something that he shouldn't have done. So who said that we are cheating? The talk has been about the fact that Abdelayah is going to say he's not going to say. And you are going to say that he's not going to say. No, I'm not going to go ahead. So there's no justification. Even at this point, sir, but that was concentrated four years ago. They talked about what they're doing on mass, and he claimed they're going to take over a week. You know, if it were money, you would have worked a length of, but they tell it to not say, you do not have to talk. So after he, at this time, the thing to talk about is, let the people take me, train if they can, and try to get it called that we are together. So if you are a person, and if you go, you don't say that you can joke that much again. I'm going to go that way. You need to wear. Okay. Osir, I'm going to toss back to you now. Many have touted this particular elections in 2023 to be very, you know, regional election as some of the, or most of the candidates, the front running candidates seem to be somewhat regional candidates. They seem to be pushing for their region. It's either saying, it was the turn of the south, or it's the turn of the southwest, or it's a turn of the north. How can, how can your candidates blur these lines? Because we're talking about Tikua Bubakata today. Again, with this statement that many people have reacted to, it seems to go further to butchers the fact that maybe these elections are more original than national. Because this statement, as you said, may be taking in context, there's nothing wrong with this. It simply is because we are having very similar to what we had in 1999, almost what we are having here to the regional justice of power. I want to, because back in 2019, where the same O'Hanejo, because you're asking a question, but I'm not going to explain what I'm going to describe, O'Hanejo in 2019 is generally said that people have made a back and about commitment to the suffering of the federation and have confirmed the same difference to America. That they know in particular that CDC has given their son Tikua Bubakata candidate and has just given Indigo an opportunity for him to do it. Because it's almost impossible to hear an ethnic social political organization come up and start reading again what it seems to be ethnic conversation. Because that's literally their way, based on that theory. So very, very, how to say, it makes sense because Nigeria is not a diverse country. You need people defending all interests, majority interests and minority interests, whether it's religion or ethnicity or tribe or whatever. So there's nothing wrong with our diversity, there's nothing wrong with identity, but I think what's in the great conversation is when someone says, I am Igbo, I am also, I am Noobar, but I'm also born in that same Nigeria and I can build bridges across the nation. And this is what exactly I think it is. If we're at a point in our country where we're trying to blur these lines of ethnicity, of religion, why even put that in a conversation? Why not say, I am Nigerian? I do not care what part of Nigeria that you might want to put me in, but I am Nigerian. And this is the kind of Nigeria that I envisage to run, as opposed to saying, well, as an Osno, or as a Southeast, or as a South South. Now, why can't we just start from where we want the country to get to? I'm just asking in closing quickly. Osse, can you hear me? I think that I lost Osse. Well, unfortunately, that's the most we can take on this segment. We have to abruptly end this, Osse. And then he is a PDP chieftain and of course Alex, one of the leaders of the Orhanese Ndigo. But we'll take a quick break when we return. We'll be talking about the newly sworn in Iketi state governor and his six point agenda. Stay with us.