Your Excellency
I am writing you this open letter personally to commend you on your administration’s commitments to the fulfilment of your electoral campaign promises, ethos and mantra especially the renewed hope agenda and initiatives of your administration. I want to also stress categorically that throughout history, no nation has achieved any substantial leap without a leader who gives it a vision, strategic thinking and a clear coherent plan built on evidence and data. We are indeed very grateful to the almighty God that since you assumed office as the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, your leadership have shown all who loves our country that indeed you are the leader we have for so long yearned for. Your leadership, vision, strategic thinking and your clear coherent plan built on evidence and data is gradually and systematically getting us to the promised land we all craved for our nation.
Secondly, my dear President, your decision to implement painful decisions which are indeed necessary to make our country a better place for our generation and those yet unborn is really reassuring and I commend you for this symbolic leadership gesture which is today generally acclaimed as a leadership that deals in hope. I am very confident that this bitter pills prescriptions though painful are very necessary to take us there, because it is one we must swallow to avoid the labyrinth awaiting us in the future. My President,I urge you to continue on this track because history will surely vindicate you.
Your achievements so far is really assuring to us that stood by you during the last election that you are really the father of the nation and the father of our democracy just like Nelson Mandela of south Africa who paid the price for democracy peace and developments to strive in his country. You have been consistent in support of a democracy that respects the fundamental human rights of all citizens no matter their status in the society.
In our state, Kogi state I remember vividly your brotherly and political relationship with my late mentor, Prince Abubakar Audu of blessed memory. I remember the good stories he use to tell us about your politics and the mutual respect you both have for each other.
Though, when he was the governor of Kogi state in 1992, you were in the Senate, I remember the story he told us about a very sordid occasion when he was to be politically embarrassed by some of his political enemies and how you save him from that embarrassing situation by admonishing those against him to leave him alone as he was your senior colleague in politics whom you never want to see embarrassed. When prince Abubakar Audu was alive you were with him as your loyalty and friendship with him was never in doubt and we in the Prince Abubakar Audu political dynasty will never forget your true friendship to our mentor when you appointed one of his son’s as a Minister in your administration. We are eternally grateful, Mr President, for your show of love.
Mr.presodent, there is today a very disturbing issue in our dear state that needed your urgent attention and this have to do with the present persecution of our former governor, Yahaya Adoza Bello by the economic and financial crimes commission, EFCC. This ugly events is today becoming very embarrassing to the people of the state, the APC as a political party and all lovers of justice. I remember vividly the contributions of our former governor, Yahaya Adoza Bello to your victory in the last Presidential election in the state and the nation in general having served as the Director of Youth of your Presidential Campaign Council. I also remembered how his leadership gave you the most resounding victory in Kogi state and the north central states where you got almost 80 percent of popular votes in the last election.
For a man who have worked assiduously hard to ensure your victory and that of the party to be left alone to be embarrassed by the EFCC is to say the least embarrassing to the people of the state. We want to say in clear terms that we are not saying you should shield him from prosecution because he is not above the law but we are begging you to compel the EFCC to follow due process by not denying him his fundamental human rights.
Some very important state governors who the EFCC categorically mentioned even before they left office as having cases established against them are presently walking free in the country and some of them are presently serving as very prominent members of your administration which we do not have any problem with because the laws of the land stipulates that every citizen is assumed innocent until proven otherwise by a court of competent jurisdiction.
The question we seem to ask daily with no answer is, why is the case against our former governor different?. Mr.President, as the father of our nation, we are seeking your indulgence by asking you to please ask the EFCC to follow the Due process of the law in this case. We believe if this is followed our former governor will not hesitate to present himself before the EFCC and the courts to answer the Charges against him.
Thank you sir
Yours faithfully
Barr. Halima Alfa Gaya Ph.D
