Your Excellency,
May the peace and grace of God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ be multiplied upon your family. I concluded the first of this two-part open letter to you by promising to reveal a more excellent way through which you will stem the declining fortunes of All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and remake it into a notable political force in the South East geopolitical zone for starters.
Transforming APGA from the provincial political party it now appears to be, from all intents and purposes, to a truly national party represents a most daunting challenge because of the serial culpable acts of omission and commission its erstwhile leaders have committed. But APGA’s transformation is not just a job that must be done – considering the lofty ideals envisioned by its founding fathers; it is equally a Herculean task that requires your larger-than-life personality to be successfully accomplished.
Biblical records show that there was a time in the history of the ancient Persian Empire when a top government official called Haman deviously plotted to kill Jews within the kingdom. As a last gasp effort, Mordecai, a Jew, commanded his cousin, Esther, the queen, to intercede on behalf of her people. Mordecai was able to convince a hesitant and self-conscious Esther into ultimately choosing to risk her life and the pomp and circumstance of the Persian court by appearing uninvited before the king (an act punishable by death) by reminding her that once the secret gets out that she is a Jewess, she would also suffer the same fate as other Jews. He concluded his entreaty by saying, “And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”
Your Excellency, I am fully persuaded that God has prepared you for such a time as this to directly take over the reins of leadership and guide Ndigbo, under the aegis of APGA, to the Promised Land. Think about your pedigree or oriki, as the Yoruba would say. You are the scion of a renowned political family in Igboland – the Onohs of Enugu State. Just like Queen Esther, you were at a time crowned the Most Beautiful Girl in your country. Then you married arguably the greatest Ndigbo hero of all times in the person of the now departed Ezeigbogburugburu, Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu. And you’ve shone like a million stars in your diplomatic post as Nigeria’s ambassador to Spain.
Your Excellency, a city set on a hill cannot be hidden. It is like trying to cover a full-term pregnancy with a finger. Much has been given to you by way of parental heritage, natural endowment and marital ties. You cannot be the lioness that squeaks like a mouse. Renowned English playwright, William Shakespeare, once wrote that, “Some people are born great, some acquire greatness and others have greatness thrust upon their shoulders.” Your Excellency ma, all three are amazingly united in your person!
Granted that you have always had a deep loathing for politics and all it represents. While your husband was still alive, you insisted on being present at every interview he gave to the press, so you could prevent him from saying anything you consider too controversial for the family’s well-being. You are not the first, neither will you be the last of women in such a situation. But permit me to briefly tell you the story of another lady who felt the way you do but who ended up obeying the stronger pull of providence.
Sonia, an Italian citizen, met her future husband, Rajiv Gandhi, while both of them were studying in England. Despite being a scion of the iconic Gandhi-Nehru clans, Rajiv shunned calls to enter into politics, preferring instead to leave the turf for his flamboyant younger brother, Sanjay, while earning a living as a commercial airline pilot. During this period, Sonia was a full-time housewife (oops, sorry, homemaker).
Your Excellency, just think about it for a moment: Sonia loathed everything about politics ab initio and her disdain only grew deeper as she watched her brother-in-law, Sanjay, mother-in-law, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, and husband die under circumstances directly linked to their political activities and exposure. Her decision to stay out of the political fray received widespread sympathy, but then someone had to take care of business or watch, as the legacy built by generations of the Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru families is irresponsibly destroyed.
The Congress Party’s influence began to wane even as its fortunes started to nosedive (APGA?). It split into two major factions after it lost the 1996 elections and soon became a mere shadow of its old self. This remained the sorry state of affairs until 1998 when the pull of salvaging the party and restoring the family legacy was stronger than her disdain for politics, and Sonia finally ‘allowed’ herself to be drafted into becoming both leader and president of Congress – in that same year, and official Leader of the opposition a year after being elected into the Slok Sabha (Lower House of Parliament).
Your Excellency, this is the time to put all your natural charm, intelligence, charisma and high-wired connections to maximum advantage. The Nigerian polity awaits a person like you with so much ‘electricity’ to zap up the system and create a new national political order. Knowing the kind of man your husband was, I can wager a bet that he is turning all over with excitement in what is supposed to be his resting place, as history beckons on you. Ndigbo, Nigeria and the rest of the world await your grand entrance with bated breath!