By Charles Anike
Your Excellency Mr Peter Obi and my beloved Comrade members of the Obidient Movement. It is with deep sense of respect and honour that I write you this open letter.
I bring you special greetings as we journey in our collective resolve to take back our country from political bandits. The Obidient Movement has remained intact and undeterred despite outright intimidations from its foes. We thank God that despite all odds, the movement is waxing stronger, and multiplying its membership exponentially.
We have also observed that Labour Party, which provided the platform for our principal in the 2023 presidential election, has been overtaken by leadership crises. The hand of Esau cannot be ruled out in the whole saga. Such situation is unhealthy and has negatively affected the party and the movement. It should be a source of worry to anyone who is knowledgeable about political dynamics.
Your Excellency, it is necessary we review our general views of the situation in order not to repeat mistakes. The recent alleged exit of our beloved brother and comrade, Barr Kenneth Okonkwo, from LP is worrisome. It is not in our best interest to continue to talk down on him. We cannot throw away the messenger and the message, rather we should pause and analyze his messages.
Barr Okonkwo was one of the front-liners of the movement. He was a confrontational ally. By his privileged position, he might have seen what most people criticizing him don’t know. I believe he has a message that deserves serious attention. The present-day Nigerian political space requires a combination of forces.
Your Excellency, POWER is NOT GIVEN; Power is TAKEN. Barr Okonkwo’s message is that Your Excellency must brace up, review your strategies and possibly add another dimension to what you are used to. You must understand that these crops of political actors that constitute the APC are likely to be controlled by voodoos and therefore only understand the language of force and maybe violence.
Barr Kenneth Okonkwo did not mean that you are incompetent or that you lack capacity to lead the country in terms of providing quality leadership. He was referring to the will power to take what rightly belongs to you, and that your gentlemanly approach has not helped matters.
Even in the Bible, most of the leaders that God raised were courageous men who talked tough. That is surely what is lacking that Barr Okonkwo is referring to, and not the other way around. That was the courageous move that your running mate, Datti Baba Ahmed, tried to push immediately INEC declared the false result. Anyone who will liberate and deliver Nigerians from the firm grip of political terrorists must live by faith and be as bold and courageous as Moses and Joshua in the bible.
Okonkwo was one of your finest foot soldiers. The very answer to the Nigerian question lies in you, BUT there must be someone who will be courageous enough as Nathan in the Bible to stand to your face to tell you the bitter truth. It is not exaggeration to say that if someone like Nyesom Wike, Omoyole Sowere, or Atiku Abubakar were lucky to have your kind of supporters and followership that cut across all ethnic divides, tribes and religions, Tinubu won’t by now be comfortable as he is currently doing with your mandate.
Your Excellency, do you know the number of people endangered because they wanted you to be the president of Nigeria? Let us guide against repetition of such in future. Nigerians still love you, and ready to give you their votes in the next election. The recent statement credited to you “Count me out of Tigbuo Zogbuo politics” is not a good language of a leader. It was rather better not to say anything because that can be likened to Dr Goodluck Jonathan’s ‘my political ambition does not worth the blood of any Nigerian’.
Abraham Lincoln, in his letter to his son’s teacher, told the teacher to teach his son to be gentle with gentle people and to be tough with tough people. Such quality is necessary in our present circumstances, and we know you have it. Thank God you didn’t succumb to the empty threat of APC attack dogs concerning the #EndBadGovernance protests.
To my beloved Comrades and members of the Obidient Movement, I sincerely advise that we continue to conduct ourselves as very civilized adults and avoid unnecessary distractions. In politics, there is no permanent enemy or permanent friend. We must not see people like Barr Kenneth Okonkwo as our enemies. We can still win them back into our fold because it is far better and profiting to have them among us.
Thank you for your patience and attention. May the good Lord continue to guide and direct our steps for victory come 2027.
Hon Charles Anike is National President, Eastern Union, Nigeria.
