OPEN LETTER TO HIS EXCELLENCY, ALHAJI YAHAYA BELLO ON PRESIDENTIAL PURSUIT.

Your Excellency sir, this letter should have come before now especially since your aspiration to lead this country come 2023 commenced.
Despite the initial pretenses that pushed forward the narrative that the project was at the urging of Nigerians particularly the youth, the odds do not favor another Northerner after Eight years of President Buhari’s tenure.
Various reasons have been presented to justify the ‘alleged’ clamor urging you to contest among which is age and proclaimed performance as Governor of Kogi State.
Of a truth sir, age is on your side but it takes more than youthfulness to deliver purposeful leadership.
I read with sorrow the various programs by different groups to drum up support for your aspiration because they are wasteful in all ramifications. For a State as Kogi facing numerous challenges to embark on a gambling spree with state resources on behalf of your personal ambition in my humble view is totally wrong.
One thing Your Excellency should be lauded for is the audacity to walk where others fear to tread but at what cost to the state and its people.
Now that the All Progressives Congress is reported to have zoned the Presidential slot to the South West, what is next?
It is sad to still read people saying your quest is sacrosanct; nothing can be further from the truth. It is time to let go and think of alternatives that will still enable you to remain politically relevant after the expiration of your tenure in January, 2024.
I would have preferred a level playing field that would allow you to contest but sadly we sometimes don’t get our wishes actualized.
It is bad to restrict the political space with any guideline that suffocates the process and unfairly prevent qualified aspirants from participation but various elections since you assumed office has been replete with restrictions and impositions that are not in tune with democratic ethos. Is Karma not a vengeful bitch?
Your quest as promising as it might appear to you is nothing but a jamboree that fritters away the scarce resources of the State and the time to put an end to this bad investment is now.
Your aides and associates are still urging you to forge ahead despite the reality on ground. Most of them know pursing your presidential desire has hit the rocks but for those who have made fortunes from running errands in the project, it is ‘no retreat, no surrender’ They even proclaim, ‘there is nothing, God cannot do’
There are lots of governance issues that need your urgent attention and it is time to tackle them because the GYB2PYB project has been a resource gulping and time wasting distraction.
The numerous infrastructural development projects embarked on by your administration is an indication of your capacity and ability to make a positive difference which was lacking during your first tenure.
You are halfway through your second and final tenure as Governor and your preoccupation should be bequeathing credible and laudable legacies to Kogi State and its people.
The next two years still provide enough time to make up for the inadequacies of the past.
You can commence work on another presidential pursuit with 2031 in mind but on this, it will be easier for the Camel to pass through the eye of the needle than for your hope of succeeding President Muhammadu Buhari in 2023 to become a reality.
Wisdom is profitable to direct sir and I hope you will ignore the antics of hailers and see beyond their sycophancy. They don’t love you if they refuse to tell you the truth about this journey because as it stands now, it is an exercise in futility.
May Allah give you the grace to come to terms with the reality and react appropriately.

Abdulhamid Tijani
abdulhamidtijani6@gmail.com