By Abdullah Abdulganiyu
Regardless of how they hide and downplay it every now and then, Kwarans already know Senator Saliu Mustapha is nursing the ambition to become Governor of Kwara State come 2027. While there is nothing strange in nursing an ambition, it is evil to play dangerous and cunning politics capable of tearing lineage apart, setting the Emirate for war, and destroying the party that gave you the platform to be whatever you are presently.
This barbaric politics is exactly what Mustapha and his team are playing, and it’s so foolhardy of them to think it can sail through. While it may give them emotive sympathy in the beginning, people will later come to see the truth, then it backfires heavily. Nobody likes to be taken for a ride!
Yesterday, we read reports (obviously from commissioned media outlets) of how the Sulu-Gambari Pavillion was stopped by the Kwara State Government. They slanted the story to give sympathy to the camp of the lawmaker. The truth later emerged when KW-GIS issued its official statement, that the project, facilitated by Mustapha, failed to follow due protocol and get necessary regulatory approvals.
I recall that this is not the first time. That was exactly what the senator’s camp did during the Gaa Aremu-Isale Jagun road construction. They bypassed the state authorities, but were quick to play the victim card.
It is even more laughable that after commissioning slanted media narratives to milk political capital and sympathy, the senator would formally come out to direct that the right thing be done. This is being clever by half. The development can only mean two things, and none is good for the image Mustapha is seeking for himself.
On the one hand, it could be interpreted to mean incompetence and mediocrity, which many political commentators had argued would characterise the representation of Mustapha. Isn’t he proving the assumption right with examples in these flagrant disregards for basic protocol and laws overtime, and what appears to be a lacklustre performance compared to the tempo set by his predecessor?
On the other hand, it could well be perceived as a mischief. You disregard protocol and regulations to curry public sympathy, and then later come out to acknowledge they were truly ignored. Now, that is impunity. Or does the senator and his team expect to get a special treatment? Saliu Mustapha should not forget he is a lawmaker; more reason he should follow laws and protocols. If as a lawmaker, you are too big to follow the laws, and basic rules and regulations, then you do not know your onions.
I must also underline that the political strategy of using the voice of Jacob and the hands of Esau is old-fashioned and dead-on-arrival. Everyone knows who does what. The senator should stop being a weakling and man up to his agenda. This desperation is now seen everywhere!
