By Udochukwu George-Emenike
Dear Sir,
With the deepest sense of respect and patriotism, I write you sir—neither as a politician, because I’m not one nor as a party member, but as a concerned and distressed citizen of a nation on the brink. A nation whose people are battered by hunger in the midst of plenty, subdued by insecurity, denied and betrayed by their leaders who cluelessly watch the only country we can call ours dangerously drift to the edge of collapse.
Sir, you certainly would not know me but I do know you very closely, having worked in the ‘80s with your Nicotes, (now Intel) Awolowo Road Lagos Office as Manager- General Services, reporting to the GM, one Mr. Balakuma- an Indian, as well as the MD, an Italian- Mr. Gabriel Volpi. I say this bit to confirm how much I knew you as a kind gentleman.
You have been standing tall for decades in this Country as a symbol of political consistency and democratic resilience. From the North, you rose to national prominence, offering yourself time and again in service to a dear country Nigeria which I trust you do love. Your name commands recognition. You have built your legacy in the democratic space brick by brick through sacrifices and commitment to party politics. Indeed, history cannot erase your footprints on the sands of time in Nigeria’s political development journey.
But there comes a time in the life of even the strongest of warriors when he must sheath his sword, not out of fear or weakness, but out of wisdom. That time, I believe is now.
Your Excellency, the truth is that your country needs you now. However painful that truth is, it must be told anyways. Your dream to become President is noble, but as noble as it may be, it stands (in the current circumstances) on a crumbling foundation. Not because you are unqualified or because your passion is untrue. But because the moment requires a different kind of strength: – the strength to sacrifice self for a nation.
Your Excellency Sir, the truth again is that you have unarguably worked hard to earn the position you occupy today but it’s also true that a thousand and one other Nigerians like you have equally worked even harder, but by no means are they anywhere near you. What then happened to them? Nothing. It’s just that success in life isn’t solely determined by skill, speed, or wisdom, but also by unforeseen circumstances and opportunities. No wonder King Solomon in the good books says: ‘’The race is not to the swift or the battle to the strong, nor does food come to the wise or wealth to the brilliant or favour to the learned; but time and chance happen to them all.”
There exists an unspoken yet deeply entrenched understanding of power rotation between North and South—a political equilibrium that, though not enshrined in law, but has served to maintain peace, balance, and trust in our fragile union. Presently, the South holds this mandate, and only two years have passed in what is meant to be an eight-year two terms.
Nigeria is in distress. Hunger gnaws at millions. Insecurity has turned life into fear. Our youths, brilliant but jobless roam the streets. Blood spills daily in towns and villages that should have peace, yet the ruling government, with all its failings is hell-bent on holding on through crude manipulation, propaganda, intimidation, and open disregard for the democratic will of the people.
At this point your Excellency, we need a unifying force; a symbol of national conscience. A figure that commands moral authority beyond politics. Waziri Adamawa, you are that figure. We need you. Our nation is in the ICU on oxygen existentially threatened. You have as a result promptly rallied a coalition to save her. That is really patriotic and We owe you a lot of gratitude. However, we still urge and beg you to go further and do what most men in your position have never done – suspend your personal dream to rescue a national destiny. Do not contest the 2027 presidency.
Your withdrawal from this contest, and an open and passionate endorsement of a credible, southern candidate who enjoys broad national acceptance, will send a shockwave across the land. It will not only awaken hope but will solidify your name in the books of history as the man who chose legacy over title, unity over ambition, and posterity over politics.
Imagine it for a moment sir, that you are celebrated in every region, in every tongue, by every creed. Not as another politician, but as a patriot, a saviour, the father of a new Nigeria.
We do not ask this of you just because you are capable. No. We ask because you are the only one capable enough to make such a sacrifice. You have nothing left to prove. You have already earned your place in history. But you can choose how that place will be remembered.
Nigeria needs you in 2027, not on the ballot, but on the moral high ground.
