Attai Audu Jos
Coalition of Christian Minority Groups in Northern Nigeria has petitioned Wife of the President Elect Mrs Oluremi Tinubu to ensure Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu,the President Elect appoints Hon James Abiodun Falake as his Chief of Staff.
The group in an open Letter to Senator Oluremi Tinubu written by its Coordinators Ibrahim Magaji and Istifanus Lukas to the incoming First Lady of Nigeria Senator Oluremi and made available to Oracle Reporters in Jos, said they make bold to say that within the Asiwaju fold, no choice could be better than Hon James Abiodun Faleke, who is a Christian from the North who served as Secretary of Presidential Campaign Council .
According to them, Faleke is equipped with institutional memory to navigate the slippery political stratosphere to achieve vital integration for inclusive governance .
“Hon Faleke’s sins to his traducers is that he followed Asiwaju’s instructions to the letter and made sure that all are treated fairly during the campaigns.”
The Northern Christian Minority Group leaders told Senator Oluremi Tinubu that this is the time to rise up and be counted for standing for what is right and just and in the interest of the incoming administration to be led by her husband, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu as president and Commander in chief of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
They reminded Senator Oluremi that It’s time for her to stand up like Esther on appointment of Chief of Staff.
” We are representatives of Christian minority groups in Northern Nigeria who aim at pursuing justice and fairness for our members through peaceful means.”
“Permit us therefore to approach you through this medium as we have before us a matter at hand which needs your urgent intervention as the next First Lady of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Mother of the Nation.”
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They recalled that Senator Oluremi once had cause to address Northern minority christians during the presidential campaigns in Jos, Plateau State and on that occasion, she dispelled fears about the apprehensions of a Muslim/Muslim ticket and assured them that they would not shortchange ethnic minorities and the Christian north as is being speculated.
“That assurance which you gave us, instantly replaced our fears with the confidence that with you as the closest person to the President- elect, we have no reason to fear marginalisation and we immediately warmed up to you holding on to the promise that you’re a Lady of substance who stands by her words.”
” We however wish to bring to your attention that lately, there have been some disturbing signals that do not tally with the assurance you gave us.
We have it on good authority that the nomination to one of the key offices in the presidency, that is the position of chief of staff, would, despite the President-elect and the Vice President-elect being of the same faith, be given to another Muslim.”
According to them, without exaggerating, this has created unrest in their fold and to confirm their fears, media reports have zeroed in on two persons, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila and minister of works, Babatunde Fashola as possible nominees to occupy the strategic position.
” Despite your assurance that our President-elect and your husband will accommodate all including ethnic minorities and northern Christians in his administration,the nomination if confirmed will re-engender the feeling of exclusion of certain demographics in the incoming administration and will create further suspicion that there’s a hidden plan to ostracize certain groups from governance as the Chief of Staff position is central to the success of an administration.” They stressed.
They urged Oluremi to draw the attention of her husband to the implication of why this portends to the unity and cohesion of citizens, a part from marginalizing a section of the country, it will send a wrong signal that hard work and commitment will not be rewarded in the Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu led administration.
They lamented that the persons so listed have not done half the work that others have done to ensure the protection of the mandate of the incoming government.
“Indeed, they where nowhere to be found when the integrity of the election that produced your husband as the next president of Nigeria was being challenged by some elements within and outside Nigeria.”
” Your Excellency Ma, while these people were away lobbying and disturbing the President-elect for their personal interests, people like Hon. James Abiodun Faleke and his supporters were up in arms to counter every move meant to disparage the process and results of the last presidential elections.”
They argued that Hon. Faleke supporters took the matter up by marching to the INEC headquarters, occupied the Unity Fountain in Abuja for days and embarked on a 60-day daily vigil to dislodge the anti democratic elements from achieving their aims of discrediting the elections and to mobilize countdown to the swearing-in!”
According to him, the apparently sponsored media reports to promote other persons apart from those who are ready to give their all to ensure Oluremi husband succeeds as president is casting her beloved husband and their revered President-elect in bad light and is a total negation of what she assured them on that faithful day in Jos, when she addressed them in person.
“We believe it is high time to rein in the promoters of this evil narrative so as not to create unrest and disaffection in the polity.
“Our Dear First Lady, this is not the time to keep silent as this particular consideration will have a lot of implication on the perceived fairness of the next administration which even from pre-election , was cast as religiously insensitive”
“We call on you, our incoming First Lady to protect the incoming administration from percieved one-sidedness as Esther did for her people in the holy Books when she rose and presented to the King the plight of her people.”
“In the same light we say to our dear First Lady-in-Waiting, that who knows whether God has so promoted you for a time like this “
They called Senator Oluremi to rise up and save the next administration from mockery as their beloved President-elect’s good intentions are being misrepresented by the actions of a selfish few.
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Oracle Reporters 