Open letter to BUHARI and Tinubu

Dear Sirs, I hope this letter meets you in a
good, patriotic spirit. Let me first use this
opportunity to join other Nigerians in
congratulating the opposition on the
registration of the long-awaited alternative
party, the All Progressives Congress.
Its
registration by the Independent National
Electoral Commission was a significant
moment for Nigerians.
It, hopefully, signals a new dawn
considering that for once, a truly national
opposition platform which has been
elusive in the Fourth Republic, appears to
have emerged to challenge the ruling party
in 2015 and beyond. In many ways too,
the merger of the once disparate
opposition parties under a unifying bloc
represents a milestone in the quest for the
enthronement of genuine democracy.
That the union has come at a time when
this democracy is under imminent threat of
annihilation by anti-democratic forces
gives Nigerians cause to cheer. Now, they
hope that the ruling party will
subsequently be held accountable and its
excesses curtailed. While also admitting
that your union may not be a gathering of
saints, it nonetheless, represents a starting
point.

It is the recognition of the role of a credible
opposition that Nigerians anxiously
anticipated the success of the merger. No
wonder also that they celebrated its
registration. The widespread euphoria is at
once a show of gratitude as well as
appreciation of your commitment. That
you all agreed to dissolve your existing
parties to coalesce under a broad-based
opposition is the mark of true patriots.
The sacrifices your parties have made to
bury individual egos and sectional
interests may well be what our country
needs to move this democracy forward.
You will also have to agree with me that
Nigerians were initially sceptical when the
opposition initiated another merger plan.
Do not blame them because the nightmare
of past disappointment is still fresh. On
three occasions, you let Nigerians down.
The most significant was the 2011 merger
fiasco. Your failure to unite at the time is
the reason why our country in a mess
today. Now, the APC optimistically presents
us with the opportunity to right the
wrongs of the last 14 years.
Of course, Nigerians know that this may
not be a perfect union, yet, they hope you
may put your house in order to challenge
the Peoples Democratic Party's 14 years'
misrule. And they are waiting to show the
power of their votes in the next elections.
They celebrated the APC because they want
to trust you.
Having been battered, bruised and left in
the lurch by this government, they look
forward to a new dawn in 2015 and
beyond. Nigerians want security of lives
and property, regular power supply, good
roads, better schools, quality health care,
end to ethnic strife, corruption and
wasteful government. Can your party
deliver? Is the APC the new messiah? Will
your party put an end to this vicious circle
of poverty and oppression that is
synonymous with this government?
That is why both of you stand on the
threshold of history.
That is why it is important that you must
both realise your place in history. Will you
continue to act like true patriots to ensure
that the APC becomes a genuine opposition
party? Can both of you ditch your personal
ambitions for the common good?
Nigerians are still worried about the
danger your political egos pose to the
survival of the new party. Indeed, there is
a widely held belief that conflicts arising
from clash of egos may yet destroy this
union. Knowing that the 2011 merger
collapsed for this same reason gives cause
for concern.
For example, there are already speculations
that you, Muhammadu Buhari, will present
yourself as candidate again in 2015? While
I do not doubt your personal integrity, it is
also within your constitutional right to
seek election. But will your candidacy be
politically wise in 2015? Rather than fuel
speculations about your possible
candidacy, I will suggest that your party
begins a search for a younger candidate
with national appeal. This means that you
must accept to ditch your ambitions for the
common good. That is the mark of true
patriots. The opposition cannot afford to
repeat the mistakes of the past.
Nigerians have waited for this moment.
They yearn for better life in 2015. They
hope to be liberated from hunger, poverty
and misery that have become their lot with
the ruling party. They want to see
improvement in their quality of life. They
want to remove the horrible stigma of a
people living on less than one dollar a day.
They also hope that your party will save
this country from hurtling down the
precipice plotted for it by the ruling party.
The APC can put an end to this circle of
impunity in 2015. But the road ahead will
not be easy. In the words of the great Tai
Solarin, may your road be rough! There are
still fundamental issues your party has not
resolved.
These issues are the heart of putting in
place an enduring opposition that will
outlive both of you. First, Nigerians want to
see an agenda that is different from the
PDP. They want to see how you intend to
govern. Thus, apart from shopping for
credible candidates, your next objective
will be to show Nigerians how you intend
to govern differently. They do not want
business as usual. Even while they cannot
wait to kick out the PDP in 2015, they do
not want a party that is a clone of the
ruling party.
Now you have to figure out how you
intend to resolve the ideological
differences you brought into this alliance.
How does your party intend to rule? How
will the APC be different in ideology?

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