Oba of Lagos’ impolitic comment

LAST week, the Oba of Lagos, Oba Rilwan Akiolu, declared that God would not allow a different party from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to take over the state in the 2019 general election. Oba Akiolu made the remark during the 11th Annual Hijrah Lecture and inauguration of the new state House of Assembly mosque. But the utterance, provocative and impolitic though it was, was merely true to type. Ahead of the 2015 governorship election in the state, the traditional ruler had warned South-Easterners living in Lagos that if they failed to vote for the then governorship candidate of the APC, Mr. Akinwumi Ambode and incumbent governor of the state, they would perish in the lagoon.

Till I die, Buhari’ll continue to address me as sir; I’m most qualified to criticise him — Obasanjo

He had added that if they repeated what they did on March 28, 2015 when they allegedly voted for the then presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, they should prepare for the repercussions. He said: “On Saturday, if anyone of you goes against Ambode, who I picked, that is your end. If it doesn’t happen within seven days, just know that I am a bastard and it is not my father who gave birth to me. On Saturday, if anyone of you, I swear in the name of God, goes against my wish that Ambode will be the next governor of Lagos State, the person is going to die inside this water. I’m not ready to beg you.”

To all intents and purposes, Oba Akiolu’s latest outburst is just as demeaning as his 2015 comment. In declaring that no other party apart from the APC would govern Lagos State, he was not merely expressing his personal opinion. On the contrary, he was clearly using a cherished and highly revered societal office to canvass a narrow agenda. Surely, he was not appointed Oba of Lagos by a political party and is not paid by one. But even if he were, it would still not have justified making utterances that are capable of polarising the vibrant community that he presides over as custodian of culture.

The point has to be made, and very strongly too, that in trying to coerce Lagos residents into voting for a particular party, Oba Akiolu is not in any way helping that party’s cause. The APC, to the best of our knowledge, has no exclusive right to administer Lagos. In the eye of the law and in democratic practice, any of the political parties on the ballot box has an inalienable right to present its manifesto to the people of Lagos, canvass its philosophy, and take office should it obtain the people’s endorsement. Realising this basic truth, the APC leadership wisely distanced itself from Oba Akiolu’s outburst in 2015, thus clearly indicating that it did not intend to benefit from his coercive tactics.

Oba Akiolu, nay Nigerian leaders, must learn to respect institutions and refrain from deploying public office in the service of obscure agendas. Oba Akiolu must get a grip on his emotions. The throne of Oba of Lagos ought to be used to promote inclusiveness, unity and progress.