Mr. President, I am writing this open letter to you as one of the stakeholders of our party, the APC, who have gone beyond words but actions in real life to show that he has the real love for you which goes beyond politics.
For those who have known me both politically and individually, I have shown that I am one of the most unheralded and unadvertised members of the APC whose personality is daily a memento to all that you are – the king of progressive politics in Nigeria. In real life, I daily dress in the attire of the great political dynasty of Nigeria as epitomized by your “Emilokan” dressing code, I sleep and dream of your political ideologies, named my son after you and daily praying for your success not for your reward system reaching me but in support for your strategic leadership dispensation and the growth and development of Nigeria.
I am also writing this open letter to you to congratulate you personally on your attainments of two years of progress, growth and developments in all its physicality in the country, I am also writing this letter to warn and advise you on the recent happenings in the party especially the many endorsements you have gotten from major stakeholders, zonal caucuses and even the main party hierarchy as the run off to the 2027 begins without a mention of the name of the Vice President, Kashim Shettima.
I want to use this medium to state clearly without any fear of contradictions to you that the next election is solely about the future and survival of Nigeria in which your candidature with that of our vice president is the balancing we need moving forward, Having put the ghost of the Muslim – Muslim ticket cries to sleep with your excellent performances, Mr. President, please do not wake up the sleeping ghost by exhuming its memory as it will definitely this time consume you and our dear party, the APC, politically. Nigerians are now politically sophisticated, this they have shown in the last election when they voted against religions and geographical considerations to make you deservedly the President of the greatest black nation on earth.
Mr. President, those deliberately mentioning your name for the contest of 2027 while conveniently ignoring your Deputy, Vice President Kashim Shettima, are not acting in your best interest, nor that of our great party, the APC.
This is because by ignoring the Vice President in such conversation is dangerous at this time because it could easily lead to damaging the unity and cohesion of the party. Many are already angered by the confusion and omission of his name and which has led to a rumored eventual exclusion from the joint ticket you now shared in 2027, If what transpired at the recently held zonal meetings of the party in the North East is anything to go by then we need to be worried because of the way the endorsement was given, singling you out alone for mentioning, the event turned chaotic and which was disgraceful to the party as reported in the media.
Mr. President, I acknowledged that constitutionally, its only you as the candidate that can nominate your running mate in the next election. I fully agree also that it is entirely your prerogative and nobody has the power to force you to choose who to nominate but as a stakeholder and one at those who loves you and is entirely committed to the progress and development of the party and Nigeria in general and because I am fully committed to your landslide victory in the next election, I have a very good advice for you. We know that before your table are many advises coming from major stakeholders who are very close to you. Some of these advise are that the North – East have no reason to feel entitled to any special privileges any more in the APC as we approach 2027 because the zone did not deliver the expected results for you and the party in the 2023 election and that the privileged the North East got in 2023 was based on political calculations which may no longer be viable for the next election.
Some are also of the view among the major stakeholders that specifically, the Muslim- Muslim ticket adopted by the party at that time was only a strategy to win the 2023 election which to them is no longer the best option in 2027 when you stand for re-election and so you should look at where large number of votes are likely to come from. Some are also of the opinion that you should consider this issue based on your interests and that of the party and the selfish interest of individuals.
This developments, Mr. President, indeed if allowed to fester, will likely be the beginnings of a crisis in the APC and you can only nip it in the bud immediately and which I advise you do by making a categorical statement restating your commitment to the joint ticket between you and Sen. Kashim Shettima in the 2027 election, Allah willing. This is because for those you that what happens at the North-East stakeholders meeting was an isolated incident which will not affect the state of affairs in our great party, I want to state categorically that they do not wish you well and the party.
Even though the APC, as a party is seen today as a party of progressives and a strong institution that will not derail under your capable leadership, you should beware of the Banana peel that indeed happened to the PDP not long ago when the ego of members balkanized the party and helplessly leads to its defeat by the APC. Mr. President, I urge you to remain calm and focus as you have always been by focusing on the task ahead which is to actualize a resounding victory for the party in the 2027 election and the off – cycle polls by stating and restating to all who have ears, that in 2027 Insha Allah, the Bola Tinubu/Kashim Shettima joint ticket is still the best option going forward for the APC. This will lead the Party to remaining strong; indivisible, focused and united. This is my candid advise to you, Mr. President.
I assure you Mr. President, that Nigerian’s have not forgotten that Sen. Shettima in the last two years as Vice President shown that he is experienced and a governing partner that has continued to show that he is your steady and reliable partner in the effort to bring growth and development to Nigeria in all its physicality against an unsteady alternative who the political rent seekers are working to present to you as your vice in the 2027 elections. Sen Shettima’s remaining in the ticket will indeed give your candidature the needed momentum heading into 2027, as the fight for the Aso villa begins soon.
When some accuse your vice, Kashim Shettima as boring, you should not mind because it shows he is humble and I think you should love that about him. From records available for all to see, the Vice President has never lost in an election, He was a world class governor in a war ravaged state and proved to all that he is an administrator of men and resources without hindrance, He is one of the most highly respected senators in the history of the Nigerian senate, Today many are impressed with his Down- To- Earth style of leadership as our Vice President and many are already questioning the motives for his rumored exclusion from the ticket in 2027.
Mr. President, in the 2023 elections you successfully win with your deputy cast aside decades of the conventional political wisdom that calls for the balancing ticket with contrast by proving with your victory that your candidacy and that of your running mate, the Vice President today, was the most politically sophisticated in the history of the country by defeating the religious and geographical hurdles put on your way.
The Vice President in office has shown in the past two years that he shares a common political philosophy with you and so it is time sir that we move this country beyond old ideas that have for so long hindered our political maturity as a nation.
I advise you that Sen Kashim Shettima should still embark on this victorious journey with you as it will highlight to the whole world that your tickets is indeed a key factor in what all democratic strategists hope will be the ticket that will appeal to our country’s ideological and developmental needs, Your joint ticket will send a message to voters that is consistent rather than one with a broad gauge because the key to your second term victory is definitely a definition because picking a running mate afresh will dramatically confuse voters about what you really stand for and it will be something that, trust me, many voters are already questioning since the rumored exclusion of the Vice President started. Finally, I want to assure you that picking Kashim Shettima again as our Vice President in 2027 election and as your running mate would re enforce your ticket by balancing it. We believe in your message of hope and we still need someone that is compatible and together we believe you will give Nigeria the leadership they deserve.
Thank you.
– Musa Wada writes from Abuja.
