THIS is a passionate letter from someone who is unknown to you but has worked for you and your organizations before you became the Governor of Anambra State.
You are a known successful businessman and the youngest Chairman of Fidelity Bank PLC under which I worked in 2003 as a Banker at the BBA Branch, Trade Fair in Lagos state, where your company, Next International was situated at the time. You were the sole importer of Ovaltine from South Africa and importer of other provisions.
That is not the purpose of this letter but your sojourn into politics since you became the governor of Anambra State.
You are one of my benefactors as the Chairman of one of the most successful banks in Nigeria.
Many people knew you were robbed of your victory in Anambra, this action forced you to seek justice that lasted three years before you got justice at the Supreme Court. Instead of you to spend the remaining one year left to complete the term, the court granted you your four years as enshrined in the constitution. You competed your four years, re-contested and won another four years, making it eight years. The rest is history!
In the course of preparation for 2023 elections, you joined the Labour Party (LP) when it was obvious that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) would not field you as their Presidential Candidate.
It will be on record that you brought revolution into Nigerian political space with your presence in the Labour Party, within a year, your transformation brought LP from obscurity into limelight after 8 years with Segun Mimiko in Ondo State some years ago.
You made history by defeating the unbeatable President-Elect, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed TINUBU in his stronghold, Lagos for over 25 years. This, on its own, is a landmark, commendable achievement ever recorded in Nigeria within a year of your preparations. Your Party won many federal and lawmakers across-the-board.
You started getting it wrong with your resolve to capture Lagos at all costs leaving other states, that was the handwriting from the members of your party. Labour would have had, at least, between three to four state governors if the party had put same zeal they exhibited in the Presidential elections but your party put all your eggs in one basket, “winning Lagos is a task that must be done.”
You party lost Lagos and all other states you should have won on a platter of gold except Abia State.
You came third when INEC announced the Presidential election results declaring Tinubu the President-Elect. You and your party said you were robbed of the presidency despite coming distant third. You headed for the court which was the last hope of the oppressed, the aggrieved and the common man for justice.
You are one of the beneficiaries of the Judiciary in your bid to seek justice in Anambra State.
You were initially loved by the youths across ethnic nationalities in Nigeria but when the utterances of your supporters succeeded in narrowing it down to ethnic agenda, other sympathetic youths retraced their steps. This was at the same time your case is still pending at the Election Petitions Tribunal, the actions and utterances of your members including your vice are prejudice to the case in the court.
The interview of Datti Baba-Ahmed with Channels TV is a case in point, the Presenter, Seun Okinbaloye tried all he could to dissuade him from making provocative statement but Datti whom I concluded is immature with his utterances and his comments in his Official Twitter Page said Tinubu whom INEC has declared as President-Elect cannot be sworn in. Datti’s provocative statement caused the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) to sanction Channels TV Five Million Naira for breaking Broadcasting law.
As if this was not enough, one Ibe Okafor who claimed to be a diehard member of “Obidient” family took all Lagos bound passengers of Ibom Air into ransom for an hour by shouting “Tinubu cannot be sworn”, until he was bundled out of the plane.
A traditional Chief was arrested in Lagos for threatening to import the Proscribed IPOB into Lagos, all these they did in your name to defend your cause, despite your pending case at the Tribunal.
Your comments on Facebook and Twitter published by SOJ WORLDWIDE ONLINE NEWS has never portrayed you as a troublemaker but your followers are already turning the heat on innocent Nigerians, vowing that you must become the President or Nigeria go into shreds. Is this the way to go?
Will you continue to watch until Nigeria collapse on you? Would it not be ideal to immediately and repeatedly call your followers to order that they should wait for the court judgement?
Let us go into the memory lane, Ken Saro-Wiwa did not commit murder nor did he kill anyone in Ogoniland, Rivers State but he and his colleagues were hanged by General Sani Abacha on November 10, 1995 for what his followers did in their absence.
Chief Obafemi Awolowo alleged that the Presidential elections in 1979 and 1983 were rigged, he went to court but could not win the battle until he died in 1987, his followers did not threaten anyone before, during and after the judgement as it is being done by your followers today.
In any election, the contestants must condition their minds to either win or lose.
The incumbent President, Muhammadu Buhari went to court on three occasions when he alleged he was rigged out, he lost the battle until he became the president on his fourth attempts. His supporters did not threaten to turn the country upsidedown.
Likewise, the PDP Presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar or his supporters did not threaten anyone, this was after he had approached the Court on several occasions and lost.
What I was expecting from you is to strategize and move your train across the Niger for the next election in 2027 but since you have decided to approach the court, would it not be advisable to wait for the court judgement?
As at the time of writing this letter, the outlawed IPOB militants trooped out protesting saying, “It is either Obi or nothing.” These protests are only coming from one section of the country, the Southeast, you know what that means.
Let it not be said that, “it was through Peter Obi, Nigeria disintegrate.”. God forbid!
Remember, same people hailing you today did same thing to Mazi Nnamdi Kanu until they hailed him into the prison custody till date, they backed out and made you their Messiah. Don’t you think same people will give you Kanu treatment when the chips are down?
You are once my benefactor, I cannot afford to see you in trouble because I have never seen anyone who has ever won any battle against the federal might.
Please, call your supporters to order now before this hanging time Bomb explodes.
Adesoji Omosebi is the Publisher and Editor-in-chief of SOJ WORLDWIDE ONLINE NEWS
