By: Shehu Bashir Esq.
Earlier this month, precisely on 6th March, 2023, I wrote an article and posted on my Facebook page with the title "Kaduna Must Not Fall, Lagos Must Be Defended, Kwara Is Safe". In that article, I was very emphatic about the dynamism of the wave of political interest in these States and the importance of these States' victory to APC, which I asserted and still asserts goes beyond political victory - it is a fight for the reiteration of historical culture for future reference.
I might have narrowed down by canvassing to political victory but ofcourse, the victory in those States, especially for Lagos goes beyond party victory. I am going to explain that in a bit.
I was expecting that as soon as Peter Obi lost very badly in the last presidential election, failing to effectively use religious sentiment to drive himself to victory, labour party would have changed it's rhetorics especially in Lagos to de-emphasize their reliance on ethnically charged tug of war campaigns. Little did I realize that falling into the pit by their elder is not enough to save them from falling even into a crater.
Politics is indeed a school every citizen must attend. Whether or not you are going to be profound in it's practice is a different ball game, you just have to have an idea of how to govern the affairs of men. It is so useful for maintaining law and order. Whether you are literate or not, you must be ready to be schooled on how we can use the instrument of politics to retain, maintain and defend our existence. Failure to learn will make you a victim of ignorance. It may be a bad hit.
Nigeria's 2023 electoral process is winding down gradually and in the next few hours, it will be concluded. Indeed, this is not ending without either a recreation of history or an affirmation of the sanctity of identity. We have never had it so genetically colourated.
Of all the State governorship's elections, Lagos has the highest stake among the stakeholders and the reasons are not far fetched. It is a State where the battle has shifted from political victory quest to territorial integrity, defence agitation. Lagos is a nation of people with their ancestral root to the Yoruba, but whose ownership has just been challenged by a neophyte who has suddenly become riotous in his political ambition, thinking that he can instigate rebellion against the people just to have a political advantage. A very terrible mistake that will haunt him and his progeny for life.
We cannot discuss the political activities of 2023 governorship election in Lagos State without rebuking the dangerous, unprecedented and politically suicidal attempt by the labour party governorship candidate, whom, out of desperation for followership to win an election questioned, challenged and conspired to bring down the statute of liberty and right of ownership of Lagos by true Lagosians. In the rigmarolling, the young man has found himself lost in identity question, confusing himself on the exactness of his nomenclature - from Patrick to Chibedu to Gbadebo with a cap of Rhodes-Vibor. Not even the affidavit for change of name can reconcile this confusion in his favour when the Supreme Court is called to use Bayelsa's case as precedence.
There is no doubt that the young man is too little in knowledge and historical records to understand the implications of what he has put himself into and the mud he is rubbing on his hitherto reverend cognomen. It is so pathetic to recall that he has at different times, even when he is not in any political contest, joined those who attempted to "burn down" Lagos, using different opportunity of mob action to do so. We have seen on pictures where he was supplying rioters and those who were burning down Lagos with refreshments. Pictures have even surfaced where he was seen in the midst of a terrorist group recently classified as tenth most dangerous in the world. It is sad to even imagine that the man who did not see anything wrong in burning down Lagos during the inglorious "endsars" "coup" and even participated in the riot will want to come and rule over the same Lagos they wanted to burn down. What a paradox!.
Democracy is a father of many children - the good, the bad and the ugly. It often produces or allows the prodigal, the embezzlers, the rioters, the cantankerous, the rabble-rousers, the ignominious and ofcourse the unpatriotic ones to commit the worst of crimes with impunity. Many of those ignoble ones will hide under the "human right" claim to commit all manners of crimes and they are often shielded in defence by their fellow felons who will go as far as fundraising them to public nuisance. In most cases, because they have the loudest of noise than the smartest of strategy, their voices rent the airspace more and just before you know it, they become "change agent". Indeed, democracy is so vulnerable and gullible. It takes nonsense and allows nonsense with a breach of rule of law. Otherwise, should there be true rule of law, and should the Lagos labour party candidate be confirmed to belong to the proscribed terrorist group, he should not be contesting an election, he should be in court facing prosecution. But because this is a system that wants to be politically correct all the time, it is anything goes.
Just before the muffled voice of the labour party governorship candidate got airtime on a national TV anchored by a garrulous, sanctimonious graduate of animal anatomy and physiology, all the other political parties in the contest were in the race to canvass for votes for their party on ideological ground. They were in the campaign to sell the manifestoes of their political parties to win the election until a certain Chinedu questioned the genuineness of the DNA of Lagos indigene and chorused the "Lagos is no man's land" ranting. The methodology of the game changed instantaneously from political contest to territorial defence.
How Chinedu-Patrick-Gbadebo mixed the political contest with ethnic superiority agitation and land grabbing quest still baffles me. He nakedly exposed his main motive to snatch the party ticket midway, not necessarily to be a governor but to cede Lagos land to feudal lords of the rebel formation. He has failed in his plot.
Sadly, the young man who does not understand the implications of the bad history he is creating for himself is riding on the chant of "Lagos belongs to the Igbo" and "Igbo must reclaim Lagos" to canvass for votes from the minority whose votes have never made a deciding force in the final electoral outcome. Atleast, I have never seen where he counters this claim.
A particular candidate of the PDP in the 2019 election gambled the similar way, though on a lighter note, he fell and failed badly. Therefore, to assume that he, Chinedu-Patrick-Gbadebo can ride to victory on the back of this ethnic provocation is the most unforgivable ancestral sacrilege.
Let us be clear on something. Lagosians are not just going to the polls on Saturday to give their votes to APC, the party they know will continue the pace of development in the State, they are also going to the polls to defend the soul of Lagos and the right of Lagosians. Interestingly, even those in the opposition, who are so "annoyed" about the ranting of Lagos is no man's land are collapsing their party's structures, to merge with the APC to defend Lagos territorial integrity and defeat the aggressors.
If anyone watched the tone of the interview of the PDP governorship candidate in Lagos State, Abdul-Azeez Adeniran aka Jandor with Daddy Fresh, you would see the emotion on his face on one side and the anger for insubordination of the labour party and it's candidate on the other side. Infact, Jandor was so angry that, except for his personal future political calculation which he might be considering, he would almost want to throw in the towel, step down for APC Sanwo-Olu so that they can jointly mash the labour rebellion to the dust. Every true Lagosian across political parties is feeling insulted by that provocative claim of "Lagos is no man's land". And they will rather defend Lagos first.
For the shallow thinkers, they thought the outcome of the result of the presidential election from Lagos State on February 25th was a true reflection of the strength of the Eeeluu-P in Lagos State, they failed to understand that many things gave birth to the rigged outcome labour party got. And unfortunately for them, those reasons of sentiment are not even there anymore as they are not automatically applicable in the governorship election. Those who seemingly voted for Labour Party then, who are truly Lagosians, yielding to some "church cajoling" aren't going to do so as a "clique of disgruntled elements" this time around. This category of the people are not going to queue behind those haters of peace who are claiming that the Eyin Igbeti are tenants in Lagos. They will vote for APC regardless of their religious leaning.
Unlike what Labour Party opportunistically reined on, more than 65% of Lagosians are private business owners who cannot spare a single day to terrorist order of "stay at home", not even on a Sunday. Lagosians will not therefore vote for a terrorist sympathiser (or even a member) who will destroy the security serenity of Lagos State.
In one of my many articles, I once described Lagos as a Singapore of Nigeria. The State that could stand on it's own as a country, a one-State county just like Singapore. When you now hear a push over political toddler chanting "Eko e dide" as his campaign mantra, I am quick to educate him that Eko has been standing long before he was even conceived. Eko has been standing and has been on good standing when Jakande gave a part of Alaba to non-indegene to help them settle down from the angony of rejection from other places, Eko has been standing when Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the President-elect built Eko Atlantic City and incorporated many non-indegene of Igbo extraction into Lagos government cabinet, Eko has been standing since when Tinubu increased the IGR of the State from six hundred million to seven billion. Eko has been standing since when Lekki Peninsula was remodelled and turned into a settlement haven for the people from the far East to live, Eko has been standing when Fashola built Ikoyi bridge to ease traffic, Eko has been standing since when Ambode built the Oshodi ultran modern motor park, Eko has been standing since when Sanwo-Olu turned the sod of 4th mainland bridge, Eko has been standing since when Sanwo-Olu inaugurated Blue light rail. Or which Eko is this dude urging to stand up?.
Lagos has never been sitting in idle and Eko is not even standing anymore, it is now running in aggressive development of global standard. If all Chibedu and his Labour Party caravan have to offer is to tell Lagos to "e dide",, please, tell him Lagos has moved from that pedestal. Eko is not the ground for governance apprentice. Eko is not up for grab for a rioter. Eko is standing gidigba on the progressive front. Eko is beyond the reach of political neophytes.
GOD IS HERE
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