Dear Esteemed Political Party Delegate,
I respectfully and prayerfully write this note to you as the fate of millions of Nigerians right now depends on your singular decision to either vote right or vote wrong in this presidential primary.
You hold that golden vote to propel our nation to prosperity or if used wrongly, a golden bullet to shoot down the destiny of millions of your compatriots. Whatever you do or whichever way you use your vote, we shall all live with the consequences of your decision at least, for the next four years. Not only us, yourself included, your children and relatives will either become victims or beneficiaries of your decision to vote the right candidate or the wrong candidate. The good Book said we have before us life and death but implores us to choose life so that we may live.
I will not bore you with the situation in our country right now. You are certainly not insulated from the happenings. Some say it is good, others are lamenting under the yoke of poverty, inequality, hunger and starvation. Undergraduates are home due to no faults of theirs as our universities are shut down. Many of these young people did not choose to be born in families that cannot afford to send them overseas for studies like the majority of our politicians do.
Remember, a good percentage of our people are still living in those Internally Displaced Peoples’ (IDP) camps and more communities are still under threat of being sacked if nothing tangible is done.
We know that right now the presidential aspirants are plotting on how to sway your vote their way. Some are so desperate that they may want to pay you in US Dollars to win your ‘golden’ vote. It is difficult to refuse such inducement because I recognize that the times are difficult and bills keep piling up. However, if you need the money you may feel free to take it. One aspirant confessed that such colossal wealth may likely be part of our commonwealth. The Chinese have a proverb that it is better you teach a man to fish than to keep giving him fish. In our country our politicians think it is better to come around every four years to give out a couple of fishes than teach us how to fish.
Mr. /Mrs. Delegate, you have opportunity to help us right the wrongs of these our politicians. I beg you to look beyond their fancy promises to give us the moon in six (6) months. Some said they are going to transform Nigeria to Dubai in a couple of months. They are using the same templates the old politicians used to hoodwink us last time; giving us the same stale promises without telling us how they hope to increase electrical power generation. Many do not have any new ideas.
In conclusion, the destinies of millions depend on your decision to do the right thing. Vote for leaders who have the interest of the people at heart not those that are planning to build or expand their personal empires.
I pray and hope you will vote according to your conscience and not be coaxed by any pecuniary inducements. Tribalism and religion are only used as a political tool in Nigeria to foster bad leadership.
Most of our leaders are not men of faith or religion. No faith, either Christianity or Islam teaches oppression and embezzlement of public funds which has remained the hallmark of their perverted minds.
We need leaders that will promote humanity and not those deceiving the people in the name of tribe and religion. These politicians among themselves do not talk religion or tribe. What binds them is how much of our commonwealth they can corner to themselves. If you watch closely, they give out their children in marriage without talking about religion or even tribe.
We need a leader with the people at heart, not one that is proclaiming religion but his heart is far from God.
I pray you allow God to guide your decision and that you will make us proud as you yield to your conscience and not tribe or religion.
Yours sincerely,
E. Chukwuemeka Otuchikere