Dear General Buhari,
If you succeed in winning the presidential ticket to represent the APC in the forthcoming presidential elections, there are some things you must do in order to win the election proper. You’ve run 4 times, each time unsuccessfully; something you’re doing isn’t working, it’s time to try something different.
- LET THE KAFTAN REST:
Image is everything. I have never seen you in anything but traditional attire. It’s nice and it fits you, especially the sky blue one, but it adds to the perception that you’re too rigid. It also alienates you from people of other tribes as well as those under 30. Try a blazer and an open button shirt with khaki trousers for your next press event and watch the dialogue shift from kidnapping Umaru Dikko to how you don’t look a day older than 53.
- UNLEASH MRS. BUHARI:
Not many people know that your wife is a French trained and certified beauty therapist as well as a public administration graduate! How could you not use this to your advantage? How could anyone call you Janjaweed if you revealed this? I know you think its noble to protect her from the hassles of politics and the attention of the media, however, am sure she’d rather go through the hassle and see you win than be insulated and watch you lose… again.
She is pretty, well spoken (very vital given the current state of things) and her gentle mien offers a glimpse of a softer side to the CorruptionDestroyer we’ve grown to love and fear.
Let her engage other female leaders in politics, business and the international community. Also, her roots as an indigene of Adamawa state can be exploited to raise further international awareness and support for the carnage being perpetrated in her home state by Bokoharam in the face of an unresponsive and/or complicit and/or overwhelmed government.
- PROTECT YOUR TURF:
So you got 12million votes in 2011. Great. Congrats. However this is 2015, Jonathan has money and desperation in equal parts and Jega can’t be trusted. Don’t rest on your oars and assume that you’re safe in the north. Educate your supporters, get them to register to vote and to collect their permanent voter cards. Enlighten them on their right to vote and wait for collation. Go on the record and publicly admonish them to eschew violence but to use every other method to protect their votes. Don’t take anything for granted. The voters of the northern region are your greatest political asset, your power base; it will be most viciously attacked by the incumbent.
- ENGAGE THE UNCONVINCED:
There are many scary stories about you. One is that you’re a religious fanatic bent on selling Nigeria to Saudi. This one is fast losing steam though, because, when all is said and done, Jonathan himself has overseen the worst kind of terrorism masqueraded as Islamic extremism. His sidekick, Ayo Oritsejafor, getting involved in arms-trafficking has only served to muddy the waters of religious extremist and has gotten people wondering who really is culpable.
The other stories revolve about you being too anti-Ibo, too pro-Hausa and incapable of functioning in a democratic setting where resorting to bull-whips to enforce discipline is not allowed.
You must allay these fears, debunk these stories and give guarantees, especially to the people of the SouthEast and SouthSouth regions, admitting the neglect they have suffered historically and assuring them of the fact that they will receive priority attention in terms of infrastructural development to bring them in line with standards in other regions, at least.
You must convince undecided voters that you will work to equalize all regions of the country in terms of development and the unhindered opportunity to exploit their natural resources. Cocoa will once more be grown in Ondo and Groundnuts in Kano. Cotton, Rubber and Palm industries will be revived and Ajaokuta steel mill will finally come online.
If you don’t mean to carry out these promises then don’t make them. You’re a poor liar.
- IGNORE THE UNCONVINCEABLE:
There are some diehard cynics who believe beyond belief that no Nigerian leader born of a woman can be sincere. Ignore them….. For now. They can and will be convinced and converted only after they see your promises being fulfilled; when they witness your commitment to the specific betterment of their own specific lot. The victims of the civil war who have been further victimized by successive governments and the indigenes of our oil-rich lands who have been maltreated and abused by white geologists guarded by black soldiers will need more than mere words to trust you.
No worries though, as long as you live up to your reputation as fair and just, they’ll join up later.
- BITE WHAT YOU CAN CHEW… CHEW WHAT YOU CAN SWALLOW
Make no mistake. A broom cannot sweep away a flood, don’t let the APC logo deceive you. Corruption in Nigeria is a flood, its wetness is at every level and to try to sweep it all away, all at once will most likely lead to your own drowning… for the second time.
Your strongest selling is your integrity and honesty; good, it is an inspiration to many likeminded Nigerians who admire you for it; however, it is a source of terror to the elite who control, unlawfully, almost all of Nigeria’s resources. You cannot win against an opponent who enjoys the support of the elite; they have too much money and power. You must win some of them to your cause.
Am I saying you should soften your stance on dealing with corruption and condone dishonest individuals?
Yes… and No. Divide and conquer.
For example, you can separate the corrupt from the super-corrupt. Assure the corrupt that they will only be made to return their loot and will not face jail-time, if they help in bringing the super-corrupt to justice.
Or, inform corrupt civil servants that they will be spared severe sanctions if they reveal the inner thieving of government contractors.
Or, whisper to the immediate past NNPC GMD that he will spend just a year in prison with the remaining 36yrs of his jail term suspended if he reveals how Shell and Texaco and those Swiss oil companies have been robbing Nigeria for decades.
In short set the corrupt against the corrupt and let them catch each other.
Before the elections, I repeat, before the elections, let the small thieves know that they will be safe under your presidency if they stop stealing and help bring the big thieves to justice.
Some sort of amnesty might have to be put in place for those who have stolen state funds below a certain amount; otherwise you’ll spend all your time, if you get elected, arresting and prosecuting with little time to actually run the country.
I wish you the best in this your fourth attempt to become president. I personally believe you’re the most sincere person vying for the job and that you have the best intentions, however, intentions are internal and in politics we must be seen to be what the voters want.
Hoping you win.
Truly yours,
@revolution_ng
Articles on www.omojuwa.com are solely authors opinion
