OPEN LETTER TO PRESIDENT BOLA AHMED TINUBU,GCFR, PRESIDENT AND COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF OF THE ARMED FORCES OF THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA.
Your Excellency,
HALT THE BREWING ANARCHY IN NIGERIA.
l write, on behalf of the Igbo Agenda Dialogue, IAD, a pan Igbo, non-partisan socio-political and prodemocracy organization.
The deplorable and unprecedented security situation in Nigeria is public knowledge that has attracted unenviable international attention. The sacrifices being made by Nigeria’s security agencies to contain the situation must be appreciated no matter how modest. Your bold effort to push the inevitable state police initiative is worthy of commendation and support by the public.
Your Excellency, I wish to draw your attention to the brewing anarchy in Nigeria, which calls for your urgent intervention as the Chief Security Officer of the country.
We are in an election year leading to the presidential election of January 2027 and other elections thereafter.
Several flash points exist across the length and breadth of Nigeria.
The desperate actions and inflammatory rhetoric of political actors in the build-up to the forthcoming general elections have the dangerous tendency to trigger widespread anarchy that may overwhelm the fragile capacity of Nigeria’s security agencies that have been stretched to its limits already.
The recent attack on Mr. Peter Obi and his associates in Edo State and the subsequent attack on Rt. Hon. Rotimi Amaechi in Rivers State are a few of the provocative and unprovoked attacks that could snowball to spiral reprisal actions.
Discerning Nigerians are waiting to hear quality proposals by politicians and their political parties especially the ruling party about what they intend to do differently to alleviate the plight of the citizens if given the opportunity to serve in the offices of their aspiration after 2027 elections.
Unfortunately what we hear are threats, acerbic tantrum and arrogant claims about how the forthcoming elections have been won and lost.
Your Excellency, you have a responsibility to assure Nigerians that the 2027 elections will be fair, credible and transparent. You have a responsibility to rein in some of your overzealous aides and appointees to moderate their rhetoric and provocations.
The ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, enjoys obvious incumbency advantages from the Party’s control of the National Assembly to the overwhelming majority of the State and local government structures in the country.
The ruling party ought to concentrate its efforts on the strategy and issue based campaigns to translate the advantages it currently enjoys into electoral victory in a free and fair election.
The antics of some prominent leaders of the ruling party smacks of panic and lack of confidence.
Your Excellency, I venture to make a few recommendations that you may consider to ensure that Nigeria will go through the processes of the 2027 general election and come out of it in one piece.
1. You have the power under the Nigerian Constitution to release Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and his fellow prisoners of conscience without further delay. This will calm frayed nerves and reduce tension not only in the Southeast geopolitical zone but among Igbo people who are widely spread in Nigeria and abroad. Exercise this special presidential prerogative. It is auspicious and expedient at this time.
2. Direct the APC, the Presidency and its numerous state and local governments to set the tone for issue based campaigns.
3. Incessant arrest and detention of high profile political leaders especially leaders of the opposition political parties which may suggest deliberate clampdown to put them out of circulation at this time should be avoided.
4. The federal government and the relevant agencies in collaboration with civil society and prodemocracy organizations must make deliberate efforts to ensure large citizen participation in the 2027 elections.
The appalling twenty percent turn out in our general elections speaks to the illegitimacy of the outcomes. Nobody who is a product of such outcome should beat his chest and say that the people have spoken through the ballot box.
I urge you to be mindful of the verdict of history.
Please accept the assurances of my highest respect.
Chief Chekwas Okorie
(Ojeozi Ndigbo) is the
Convener/National Chairman
Igbo Agenda Dialogue, IAD.
