The Nation Newspaper

Tag: intolerance

  • Poor education and intolerance

    SIR: Where education is not a major provision in a community’s infrastructure, confusion can govern attitudes. It is easy to denigrate and demonize an ethnic or religious category of people when it appears under the spotlight for the first time. Where nothing is known about a particular religion, misinformation and profiling can be refined by propaganda and spread throughout communities, cities and countries.

    Discrimination against people in any setting is generally accepted and spread through ignorance. Where facts and information can be withheld or censored, the way is open for a biased curriculum to be circulated.

    These continuing practices of invaders segregate citizens with divide-and-rule strategies. No different in colonial era where one part of the population was offered education and industry while the other was left untutored and unemployed. Those educated soon started to feel socially, morally and spiritually superior to their poorer counterparts. The disenfranchised were opened to exploitation of resentment, envy and rebellion.

    Those with poor education are not always able to access information that can be compared to propaganda fuelled by special-interest groups.  Even though many human-rights laws have components of spiritual ideals, suppression of information about different people and religions can assign these rights exclusively to majority communities. With ethical guidelines intimating an embrace of universal rights, events can nevertheless be orchestrated to limit those rights selectively.

    Religious intolerance can be introduced to a population’s psyche where it never existed before. Where education is not available, it is possible to build on people’s fears and contrived prejudices that their rights are being threatened by followers of a different faith.

    In the words of one late Pa. Ladipo Johnson, “Nigeria is moving fast in the wrong direction.” Further problems arise when fanatics base their beliefs and proclamations and actions on a few select principles ?of their faith. Either ones that suit their own agenda or, principles around which their agendas are created. And here lay the compounded difficulties of translation and interpretations.?

    Sometimes it seems that Nigerians can be tolerant of different customs and cultures, but when it comes to a matter of religious differences, even those which occur among different sects of the same religion, divisions remain.

    It was Pearl S. Buck who said and I believe it to be true that, “it’s natural anywhere that people like their own kind but it is not necessarily natural that their fondness for their own kind should lead them to the subjugation of whole groups of other people not like them.”

    One wishes that we can pursue the Nigerian dream and mission through partnerships and create networks of cooperation that are focused on growth to improve the lives of millions of people.

     

    • Simon Abah,

    Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

     

  • The limits of intolerance

    Three recent incidents in Niger, Kaduna and Kano states are worrisome and should be taken seriously by all concerned to avoid a reoccurrence.

    In our supposedly secular country, a group of Muslim men stabbed a Carpenter in Kaduna state for not observing the Ramadan fast, while a 74 year old Christian woman was also killed in Kano for allegedly blasphemy.

    Earlier in May, one Methodus Chimaije Emmanuel was killed by a mob in Niger State over allegation of posting a blasphemous statement about Prophet Muhammad on the social media.

    If the incidents have not degenerated into religious clashes, it is not because they were not serious enough to warrant retaliation by the Christians in the affected communities or in other parts of the country.

    The criminal act in the name of a religious faith could have degenerated into a breakdown of law and order, but for prompt appeals from government and religious leaders who have condemned the unwarranted killings.

    It is unfortunate that any group of persons, in total disregard for the freedom of beliefs guaranteed by the country’s  Constitution and the rule of law, will take the law into their hands and commit such heinous crime.

    Irrespective of the religious configuration of any part of the country, nobody, as the Kaduna State Governor, Malam Nasir El-Rufai rightly noted, can impose a tenet of his faith on another person. The decision to observe any religious activity is the prerogative of an individual.

    If for any reason, a religious group feels offended by comments about its faith, like in the case in Niger and Kano, the law of the country does not allow  anyone to kill, no matter the provocation.

    Such cases should be reported to law enforcement agencies or religious leaders for proper investigation and prosecution where necessary. It is criminal for anyone to invoke unproven allegation of blasphemy and kill the alleged offender.

    Even in core Islamic countries, killing for whatever violation of religious tenets  is not as  barbaric as some self- proclaimed defenders of their faith in Nigeria want us to believe.

    For too long, many offenders have gotten away with criminal acts on the excuse that they are defending their religious faith. Any case of murder, like in Kano and Kaduna should be treated as such to serve as a deterrent to others.

    I believe President Muhammmadu Buhari and the governors of the affected states that justice will be done regarding the recent incidents.

    Islamic groups, including the Jama’atu Nasril Islam (JNI), which have condemned the killings will need to intensify enlightenment programmes on interfaith and mutual co-existence and prevent miscreants which they say are responsible for the killings from reinforcing erroneous impression about Islam.

  • MOSOP warns politicians, supporters on bitterness, intolerance

    MOSOP warns politicians, supporters on bitterness, intolerance

    The Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP) has warned Ogoni politicians and their supporters against politics of hatred, bitterness, intolerance and acrimony.

    It urged them to unite and work for the people’s interest.

    The group described as needless and insensitive, the current debacle on resource control and derivation.

    MOSOP yesterday issued a 13-point communique at the end of a congress of Ogoni people, held at the Peace and Freedom Centre, Bori, the traditional headquarters of the Ogoni and the seat of Khana Local Government Area of Rivers State.

    It was signed by its President, Legborsi Saro Pyagbara.

    The congress was attended by over 3,000 participants, including MOSOP leaders and representatives of its constituent organisations, chiefs, farmers, traders, professionals, politicians, youths, women and other constitutionally-eligible participants.

    Reports were received at the congress from the MOSOP president. The recent developments affecting Ogoniland were reviewed.

    The communiqué reads: “The congress reiterated that it stands by MOSOP’s position that communities should be given 100 per cent control over their resources and pay the necessary taxes to the Federal Government

    “Congress hailed MOSOP and its supporters for the steps taken so far in the actualisation of the desires of the Ogoni people to produce the next governor, to enhance adequate political representation and fairness in the country.

    “Congress decried in the strongest terms, the purported radio jingle emanating from a fake ‘Ogoni Ethnic Nationality’ and stressed that it is the handiwork of desperate Ogoni politicians, whose stock has already fallen on the Ogoni Market, working in alliance with their outside collaborators to confuse and derail the Ogoni dream.”

    MOSOP lauded Ogoni people and their friends for their support for the movement, resulting in the near total agreement recorded on most issues being championed by the organisation, on behalf of Ogoni people.

    It enjoined them to sustain the zeal and commitment, stressing that the tasks ahead would be enormous and challenging, requiring concerted efforts, anchored on unity of purpose.

    The communiqué said: “The congress urged the Federal Government and delegates attending the National Conference to review the current list of states being proposed and ensure that Bori State is included in the list of recommended states to be created. Anything short of Bori State inclusion will force the Ogoni people to seek other ways of expressing their right to self determination and political autonomy.

    “Congress condemned the stunning and continuing failure of the Federal Government to set up a proper process for the implementation of the recommendations of the environmental study of Ogoniland and called on Ogoni people to join the non-violent protest being organised by MOSOP to demonstrate the anger of the Ogoni people against the Federal Government’s stance.

    “Congress mandated MOSOP to intensify its internationalisation of the campaign for the clean-up and restoration of the Ogoni environment, including invoking the provisions of international environmental and human rights laws, to hold Nigeria accountable to her misdeeds against the Ogoni people.”

    The people also expressed regret at the recent cult crisis in some communities in Ogoni, while admonishing the people, especially the youths, not to mortgage their future by submitting to cult violence and manipulations by external mastermind to create conflicts in the area.

    The congress urged the people to be committed to ensuring that such disturbance did not reoccur anywhere in Ogoni land, describing the area as globally recognised for non-violent and peaceful advocacy, noting that they could not afford at this time to renege on the position.

    Ogoni people called on monarchs in the area to redouble their efforts in ensuring and promoting peaceful engagements in their domains.

    The congress lauded MOSOP for the steps being taken to promote the development of the Ogoni languages and enjoined members of the Ogoni language committee to be committed to the task that had been given to them.

  • A party and its culture of intolerance

    A party and its culture of intolerance

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is baring its fangs. In a bid to weaken the Baraje faction, it has clamped down on activities of the splinter group, disrupting its meetings and intimidating its leadership. Now, critics are warning that the intolerance of opposition may grow in leaps and bounds, ahead of the 2015. Group Political Editor EMMANUEL OLADESU reports.

    It is a repeat of the 2007 episode. Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar had dumped the ruling Peoples Party (PDP) for the Action Congress (AC). Before his defection, he was targeted for political liquidation. He became a nominal figure in the administration, with no role to perform. A kangaroo administrative panel was set up, with the pre-determined goal of indicting him. Abubakar only escaped the President’s hammer by running to the temple of justice.

    The former Vice President, who returned to the party after the 2007 elections, is on a familiar terrain. He and other aggrieved chieftains in the Baraje faction may soon face sanctions for splitting the party. Although the PDP National Chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, has said that the members of the faction will not be dragged before the Umaru Dikko Disciplinary Committee, party sources said the National Working Committee (NWC) may soon wield the big stick.

    Two weeks after the Baraje faction kicked off its protest against perceived injustice in the party, its arrowheads were threatened with sanction. The factional Financial Secretary was forced to retrace his steps, following the threat by the Federal Government to revoke his contract with notable government agencies.

    The embattled National Chairman, Tukur, has also threatened fire and brimstone. Warning the faction against polarising the fold, he said, if the chieftains fail to retrace their steps, the PDP will crush the rebellion.

    However, the intimidation and harassment did not deter the seven governors-Alhaji Babangida Aliyu (Niger State), Alhaji Aliyu Wamakko (Sokoto), Alhaji Sule Lamido (Jigawa), Admiral Muritala Nyako (Adamawa), Alhaji Rabiu Kwakwanso (Kano), Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed, and Mr. Rotimi Amaechi (Rivers)-from forging ahead with their onslaught against the party.

    The governors are popular in their states. As state leaders of the party, they command the loyalty of many members. The fear that the faction may pull off the rug from the Tukur’s feet may have led President Goodluck Jonathan to take some drastic steps to cling its wings. However, the Publicity Secretary of the faction, Chief Chukwuemeka Eze, has objected to the incessant intimidation, harassment and oppression. He said the aggrieved members have become endangered species, alleging that President Goodluck Jonathan has employed unconstitutional means to cripple them politically and economically.

    The President has declared war on the faction, in fragrant disregard for the 1999 Constitution, which guarantees fundamental human rights for citizens, he said.

    Eze stressed: “It has become necessary for us to cry out, in view of the war declared on the New Peoples Democratic Party and its members by certain agents and henchmen of the Goodluck Jonathan Administration, who have embarked on a mission to intimidate us, using various unconstitutional means to achieve their selfish goals”.

    Urging the President to act as a statesman, he said it is necessary to halt the activities of “the agents of confusion and enemies of democracy” bent on wrecking havoc on the nation.

    To many observers, the culture of intolerance by the PDP is worrisome. The Federal Government has been livid over the setting up of factional structures by the Baraje Group. Thus, its first move against the faction was to seal off its secretariat in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory. Eze protested the atrocity, saying that it violated the right of citizens to acquire property in any part of the country. The state offices of the faction were also sealed off.

    The National Secretary of the faction, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, lamented that these atrocities were committed, despite the subsisting case against Alhaji Bamanga Tukur and his National Working Committee (NWC).

    Three weeks ago, the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA marked the sealed national secretariat for demolition on the excuse that it was originally approved as a residential building. But Eze, who suspected a foul play, said that the property had been used as the national secretariat of the National Democratic Party (NDP before the New PDP acquired it and the same FCTA kept mute. Thus, he accused the FCTA agents of over-zealousness.

    When the faction was denied access to the sealed building, its leaders opted for the the Adamawa State Lodge, Abuja. In a swift reaction, the building was also sealed off. The FCT Minister, Senator Bala Mohammed, explained that the area is not for commercial activities.

    However, the private residences of the factional leaders were not spared. Kwakwanso’s property in Abuja was revoked by the minister. The same treatment was meted to Senator Aisha Al-Hassan from Taraba State, whose event centre, A-Park Gardens, which has been in operation for many years, was suddenly revoked by the FCTA. The property may even be demolished, if he refuses to dump the faction

    Also, the security details attached to former Kwara State Governor Bukola Saraki and his Gombe State counterpart, Alhaji Danjuma Goje, have been withdrawn. Also, Alhaji Kawu Baraje has suffered the same fate. There are also speculations that he may be removed as the Chairman of the Railway Corporation by the President.

    Amaechi of Rivers State was the first victim of the Federal Government’s onslaught. He now operates without an Aide De Camp and a Chief Security Officer. Eze alleged that he was stripped of his security details to pave the way for his kidnapping or assassination, if it is difficult to remove him peacefully. Also,the police orderlies of the Rivers State Secretary to Government (SSG) and Amaechi’s Chief of Staff have also been withdrawn without any cogent reasons.

    The Baraje faction has also alleged that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has been incited against the aggrieved PDP chieftains. Eze said that Saraki and his former Bayelsa State Governor Timipre Sylva are victims. “We understand that the worst is yet to come as this unserious organ masquerading as an anti-graft agency would soon be unleashed on all our key members in both the Senate and House of Representatives in an operation code-named “Operation Coerce Them Back to Tukur”, he added.

    Eze also complained that the police, which have failed woefully to halt the menace of Boko Haram, kidnapping, assassination and other criminal acts, have received “a fresh mandate to frame up our members and term them criminals to keep them at bay”. He said the experiment has already started in Bayelsa, the home state of President Jonathan, where there is an opposition to his second term ambition.

    Eze said that the police is on the prowl in Bayelsa. He said theor first target was Chief Richard Kpodo, the state chairman of the Barage group. He was a member of the President Jonathan Campaign Team in 2011. The State Secretary, Sidi Godwill, was the Zonal Youth Leader of the PDP. The two chieftains can no longer visit Bayelsa State just because of politics, Eze said.

    The Baraje faction said that the crackdown on its members took a new and frightening dimension on October 26, when Tonye Okio, the Publicity Secretary of the New PDP in Bayelsa State, was arrested by the police in his Abuja residence and taken to Bayelsa for a possible trial.

    In Gombe, the leader of the faction, Hon. Mohammed Magaji Doho. a lawyer and former Commissioner of Water Resources, was arrested, along with 68 supporters. Eze said that no reason was given for the arrest by the police.

    Two days ago, Oyinlola was prevented from taking part in the Gold Federation election. When he made enquiries, he was told that it was an order from the above.

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) condemned the frivolous arrests, saying that government was violating the freedom of expression and assembly. Its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said that the Baraje faction has not commiited any offence to warrant the assault and clampdown.

    Eze agreed with him. He said: “This ruthless trampling on our fundamental human rights leaves no one in doubt that the Jonathan Administration is intolerant of opposing views. Nigerians can now see what we meant when we said that these people are not democrats. They are intent on turning our country into a banana republic where the rights of Nigerians no longer count. Nigerians should prepare for the worst because today, it is the New PDP, but tomorrow, it would certainly, be somebody else”.

    He appealed to the President “to be a statesman and call these dogs of war to order before they do irreversible damage to our dear country”.

    He added: “We also call on Nigerians to intensify prayers for us and our troubled nation even as we restate our resolve not to go back on our sacred duty to reform the PDP and contribute our quota towards the evolution of a truly democratic Nigeria where the rights of all citizens are respected irrespective of their political affiliations”.

     

  • Condemnable intolerance

    Condemnable intolerance

    In the face of it, the rally by the Federal Capital Territory Authority (FCTA), to maintain the integrity of the Abuja master plan, by sealing off the Maitama Governor’s Lodge of Adamawa State, would appear dutiful, or even patriotic.

    The accusation, for the seal-off, was that the building was being used for political, instead of residential purposes, for which the Maitama district was designed. The lodge serves as temporary head office of a faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

    But if you look closely, you cannot but reflect on that quip, that states patriotism is the last bastion of the scoundrel! The FCTA legal rally is no more than subterfuge to clamp down on a rival faction of the party; using governmental force to cripple its operations.

    If you link the fact that the police, under the goading of the presidential faction of the federal ruling party, had earlier sealed off the first headquarters of the Baraje PDP faction, a pattern of provocation is established.

    Yet, the Jonathan faction could also, not illegitimately, claim counter-provocation from this splinter group that calls itself “New PDP”, a name a court of competent jurisdiction had disowned. Political splintering is recognised under the law. But not manufacturing a name, to parody the splintered party. That appears the logic behind the court’s decision that nPDP could not fly.

    Perhaps with the atavistic mindset triggered by a military era hangover, it might be too much for a Presidency that has exclusive control of the security forces not to be tempted to clamp down. But such reckless behaviours do nothing to ground the ethos of democratic tolerance that Nigeria sorely needs.

    The FCTA legal grandstanding, prelude to the seal-off, was therefore an illicit cloak masquerading as legality. The presidential faction of the PDP sadly resorted to self-help, in a democracy which ought to be grounded on the rule of law. That is not only bad behaviour from the highest quarters; it is also an act of gross corruption of the vital security institutions of state. Involving the police to settle factional scores in a party breaking up would invite nothing but further future abuses and the ensuing anarchy. That should be decried.

    Still, the situation would have been radically different if, armed with its regulations, the FCTA had gone to court and asked it to compel the Adamawa Governor’s Lodge to close down the PDP factional secretariat on its premises. That probably would have taken a longer time to effect.

    But if the action succeeds, the FCTA would have saved itself the legitimate charge that as a department of government, it is involving itself in factional political feuds. Yes, the Abuja minister is a politician. And he would probably not have been minister without his party card.

    Still, the FCTA is no factional PDP office; and strictly by law, it would appear to have no locus to twist its regulations to favour one faction above the other, no matter where its own sympathy lay. The most tragic thing about it all is that by conspiracy by the powers-that-be, it is yet impunity to undermine democratic institutions. Besides, how does such strong-arm tactics promote the so-called “reconciliation” the party crows about?

    This brazen power show also reflects, in dirty Technicolor, the abiding crisis of federalism in Nigeria’s troubled polity. Governors’ Lodges ought to be sacrosanct territory, not to be invaded at will by a bully Federal Government, because it monopolises the Nigeria Police. The building belongs to the Adamawa people and Adamawa ought to be a state, not inferior, but coordinate to the federal bully now turning itself the security village headmaster.

    Perhaps Adamawa should not have “abused” its territory, by converting part of it to the headquarters of its faction of the party. Yet, that territory ought to have been respected, as it is the convention with foreign embassies – or worst, call in the courts to adjudicate the matter.

    The federal authorities under Jonathan should resist cutting its nose in a fit of undemocratic temper. Each time it does that, it spites the face of our democracy. Believe us, it is grotesque!

  • Ondo and the politics of intolerance

    Ondo and the politics of intolerance

    In the run-up to the October gubernatorial election in Ondo State, the nation has witnessed series of violence orchestrated by the government of the incumbent and re-election seeking governor, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko, against the opposition political parties in the state. It all started on April 20, when the Ondo State chapter of the Action Congress of Nigeria organized a public lecture to commemorate the fifth anniversary of the death of the former governor of the state, Chief Adebayo Adefarati. The Oyemekun Road, Akure, venue of the lecture was reportedly stormed at noon by members of the ruling Labour Party who sang and danced provocatively to abusive songs against the opposition party.

    As the guests, mostly ACN members, began to arrive, the situation became rowdy as their supporters also stationed themselves outside the hall singing and dancing. The situation, however, turned violent when some invitees to the lecture, including former commissioners and special advisers who served under the late governor were prevented from entering the lecture hall by Labour Party members. The situation later spread into the town where pockets of violence were recorded but the quick intervention of the State Independent Electoral Commission which banned all forms of campaigns and rallies until July 21, saved the day. The Police Command in the state also took a pre-emptive action by banning all types of political gatherings in places where clashes had been recorded.

    On Saturday, July 28, however, the fragile peace in the state was again disturbed when members of the ruling party attacked a convoy of the ACN governorship candidate, Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu, (SAN), near the state secretariat on Oyemekun Road, Akure. The ACN candidate was on his way home after the party’s congress. There was a free-for-all fight in which dangerous weapons and ammunition were reportedly used and in the process several vehicles were vandalized while some passers-by were either robbed or wounded. Akeredolu, however, escaped unhurt but some members of the party were injured in the attack. Though the spokesman for the Labour Party, Femi Okunjemiruwa, alleged that members of the opposition party fired shots at the secretariat, the Special Adviser to the ACN candidate on Media, Idowu Ajanaku, said the incident happened at the Lafe Junction on Oyemekun Road when hoodlums blocked the convoy of Akeredolu who was returning home after he was elected the governorship candidate of the party.

    The hoodlums, according to Ajanaku, hauled stones and pebbles at the convoy prompting the security details of the candidate to take measures to ward off the hoodlums.

    A day before this attack, there was also a clash between members of the state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and members of the ruling LP in Ode-Irele Town. According to the PDP Director of Publicity, Ayodele Fadake, the clash was sparked off when the state government decided to inaugurate a community-based project on the same day that the opposition PDP had obtained Police permit to hold a political rally in the town. According to Fadaka, some LP members planned to defect to the PDP but due to the calibre of the personalities involved, the ruling party quickly fixed its own event in the same town, apparently to cause confusion. These incidents are by no means the only ones since the campaigns started. Aside the series of unprovoked attacks and harassment of the opposition, the ruling party has also used other coercive means to prevent the opposition parties from making their impact and freely sell themselves among the people as the political campaigns gather momentum.

    But be that as it may, one begins to wonder why the re-election bid of Dr, Mimiko is witnessing such violence. This is a governor who has over the years sought to convince the world that he has performed in all spheres of the economy of the state. In education, in health, in agriculture and other sectors of the state’s economy, there have been claims of unprecedented achievements that had not been equaled by other governments in the country. While no attempt, whatsoever, is being made here to contest such claims, the series of state-orchestrated violence attending the on-going political campaigns cast doubts on such claims. If there is any lesson drawn from the 2011 General Elections, it is the fact that Nigerians have begun to demonstrate the freedom to make a choice of those who will lead them based on performance. Except in the few places where factors other than adequate political enlightenment played a dominant role, the elections were adjudged largely as free and fair by both local and international observers. The performance criterion was evident in the several states where governors of ruling parties failed to secure a second tenure. It was also evident in the few election petitions filed in against their defeat by the governors some of who later withdrew their petitions.

    So, why the violence in Ondo State? Why have the opposition parties suddenly become targets of state-orchestrated violence? Could it be that the much talked-about popularity of Mimiko is a fluke after all? Is the attack and harassment of the opposition an indication that the “Iroko of Ondo State” is suddenly afraid to face the opposition? Is the governor afraid to allow free flow of ideas for moving the Ondo State forward in terms of education and economic development?.

    There can only be one explanation to this action of the LP government in Ondo State. The government of Mimiko is afraid to face the reality of the present development in our democratic experience – the choice by Nigerians of the performance factor as the criterion for election. What is happening in Ondo State today may be reminiscence of what happened in Imo State in the 2011 elections where the boastful Ohakim claimed stupendous achievements only to be exposed and swept away by the gale of change in that state.

    What is happening in Ondo State is certainly a minus for a governor who claims to be an agent of change. It is a sad reminder of the events that took place during the 2011 political campaigns in states like Benue where the state government severally denied the opposition ACN the use of its facilities for political rallies, In Ebonyi where the PDP government of Elechi Amadi hounded the opposition All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), led by Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, a son of the soil, out of the state capital, Abakaliki, with the lame excuse that the town was too small to host the party’s presidential rally and Bayelsa State where the former deputy governor, Mr. Peremibowai Ebebi, who was seeking a senatorial seat, was arrested by the police on a charge of an alleged offence committed in 2009.

    The truth of the matter is that beyond its undemocratic tag, this attitude of victimizing the opposition parties will expose Mimiko and his party, the Labour Party, as incompetent. If after four years of leadership, Dr. Mimiko is not willing and ready to face the challenges by the opposition, then, certainly his claim of performance is a fluke. Any governor who has performed will be proud to allow the opposition to come in and challenge his administration; because, aside the confidence it would build in the people, such a challenge will give him the opportunity to showcase his achievements.

    Again, Lagos State comes in here as a good example. The Peoples Democratic Party launched its presidential campaign at the Tafawa Balewa Square, in Central Lagos where it boasted that it would “capture Lagos”. Barely a week later, the ACN launched its own presidential rally on the same ground and had the opportunity to reply the PDP. The party told the opposition PDP that it would not only fail to capture Lagos but it stood the risk of losing the states which it still presided over in the South-west. That is the beauty of democracy.

    It is, indeed a sad commentary for Mimiko to resort to this method to secure a second term. The truth is that his intolerance of opposition does not allow for a free flow of ideas on how to move the state forward, Indeed, Governor Mimiko may have chosen a policy option that will , most certainly, see him out of office.

    Bakare wrote from Akure.