By Ibraheem Abdullateef
We can all do politics. But no one should make it a war.
We have seen that in Kwara before and the repeat seems to knock on the doorstep. Let’s travel back in time to 2003, which has sadly become a reference point of political thuggery, when Ilorin, the capital of the State of Harmony, turned a war zone. Hatred was planted in the minds of young persons. Weapons were procured for them. Terror was unleashed, leading to a bloodbath.
Lives were taken along the line. Houses were burnt. A lot of other persons lost precious body parts and businesses to the hail of violence. Politicians were behind it. Some certain forces unhappy with the frugality of the Governor and recourse to serving the people engineered bloodbath to soil his name and destabilise the government. They used violence. Propaganda. They used the people against themselves. It eventually led to Governor Alabi Lawal being defeated. Although it took them years before realising with the stretch of misgovernance and underdevelopment they witnessed they were taken for fools by trusted elites and were, of course, led to hound their benefactor. The people lost.
The elites have always been taken advantage of people’s trust to further a personal interest. But that is not even the issue now. The issue is how the state appeared to have not taken lessons from the past. The Bible says ‘old things shall pass away.’ It appears that this page in the Bible has been served to Kwarans. People need to be more observant.
Nothing of that despicable period has not resurfaced. Let’s look at it from the cradle. In Kwara, a certain party came to seek a mandate from the people. The formation comprises various tendencies. They had said in one accord they’d give whoever wins the ticket absolute support. What they campaigned with was change. Change in all spheres of our life. Change of government. Change of attitude to politics. Change of culture of leadership. Change from elitism to populism. These were the cardinal points. While they are not yet there, the vast majority seem to agree the administration is headed in the right direction. The impacts are on the streets. The state is not where it used to be.
Strangely as it was in 2003, it is coming into play in 2021. Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq is embroiled in a fierce war with the power brokers. Those who feel they put him on the throne. The reasons are simple; it is not based on his performance. That is given. Not many stakeholders care how he fares. What genuinely matters to them is how fast and big the cake on their table. It is a fight for the soul of the state using the political party which is a vehicle of (re) election. That is often the starting point. Before they move in on the government, soil the driver, and make the ship wreck. Close your eyes. Do you want to lose another performing Governor?
You know it is politics. You know it is a script. It is a simple strategy. It goes thus; Seize the party. Blackmail the stubborn man. Destabilise his government. Unleash unrest. Make people fear. And watch how they turn against him. We have been there before. We are headed at a repeat. We must resist that fiercely.
Aremu Lukman Umar, my good friend and author, once asked me; “Egghead, what is wrong with Kwara people?” It is the pattern of question one of my lecturers used to ask in school, “is it until they kill this Governor before we are wise?” Sigh. They must be disturbed people can see through the conspiracy against their wellbeing.
To Umar. Salaudeen Sulaimon. And my lecturer. The Governor is a victim of conviction. And he must not be another casualty. They understand that one cannot take side with the people delivering dividends of democracy, without let to the demands of powerful forces, and not draw their anger. Powerful forces whose interests are not being prioritised will be aggrieved. It’d not be the first time. It happened to Lawal in 2003. It happened to Ambode in 2019 in Lagos. It happened with Obaseki in Edo 2020. Powerful forces are always fighting to gun down a leader who is not willing to be a pawn in their hands. Examples abound. What is few and far between is instances where people resisted them. Why are people making themselves a tool to pull down those who have their interest at heart? Why do they not learn from history? That is what to ponder on.
Criticism is at the core of democracy. A democracy without one is semocracy. You want to appreciate those who give a different look to issues. Those who don’t let the government rest on its oars. But people need to be wary of critics now. The horde of analysts, influencers, and opinion moulders speak tongue in cheek on the radio and social media to achieve an ulterior motive. Special reference could be made to #EndSARS. The beautiful struggle will go down as one marred by some ugly promoters of fake news who almost burn down the country. They can burn Kwara too. The indications strongly point to that direction. Read/listen. Pause. Beware. Before taking action.
With such finely defined principles of Otoge, you’d expect that everyone shows patience and understanding to achieve the campaign promises. But what do we have now? Ruffled feathers who want to take Kwara backward to score cheap points. The youths are at the centre stage. They spread fake news at will, plant propaganda, accuse without proof to turn people against the government. They have not learned from history. They are blinded by fury and hatred. When next they come your way, ask them, why should I join you to bring the government down?
Roads are wearing a new look. Health centres are being fixed. Salary is stable. Water pipes are running. School/teachers are not on strike. Fellow youths are appointed by the Governor in this administration. Our mothers are no longer slaving for pittance at the godfather’s gate. KWASSIP is comforting the neglected. MDAs are running. Agriculture is supported. Hooliganism has ebbed( except for the reintroduction by the desperadoes). The alienation of Kwara North is getting breached. Corruption has disappeared. Our elected officers no longer kneel for approval to do things for their constituents. So so many positive changes. Why do I join to kill this Governor?
It is that bad now. But that is the crystal truth. Performance is no longer the yardstick to engage the government. Patriotism is taking backstage for sectional views. There is no end to what people can do to play politics. People are planning to destabilise the state using a sustained smear campaign against the Governor and violence on the people. They have gone to say that a few times on the national TV. Various security reports affirmed so. How they cannot see the folly in gaining the control of the party does not equate to gaining the people trust they lost, which the Governor have today, is surprising. If Kwara burns, where do they want to exercise their power?
This is why Kwarans should resist being used to fight a personal battle. The crisis in the All Progressives Congress (APC) is not issue-based. It is a squabble of the elite. And sadly, they have been taken us for a ride for long. It’s a reinvention of godfatherism. We pray there is a rethink. It is about time we chose wisely. If the Governor is below par, judge him yourself. If he is headed the right way, why should we not support him? Why do we choose to kill another Governor when it took us sixteen years to find this one? Kwarans should not let a few individuals drag us to back to the dark, old days. Never Again.