The sudden and surprisingly breathtaking entrance of Governor Seyi Makinde into the venue of the deputy Governor daughter’s wedding last week left many in a quandary – as issues and thoughts around the unification of aggrieved PDP members, of which the deputy Governor is believe to be its arrowhead, into the larger fold of the party judo-flipped into cut throat and high decibel slanging match of political discourse and conversations. Given the kind of tough love and intensified political cold war brewing between the Governor and his deputy, that gesture was considered off-kilter.
And when the Governor, dressed in white ‘agbada’ with a matching green cap strolled in briskly unexpectedly because an official assignment had already being fixed for that same day, he didn’t just caught people off guard with his quietly infectious smile, but also left a clear note on the gravity of his feeling towards his political adversaries – by snubbing them. Plus, he spent a record breaking shortest minutes at an event – if you juxtapose the minutes spent at the ex-Governor Ayodele Fayose son’s wedding, and Bauchi state Governor Bala Muhammed daughter’s wedding – thirty minutes in short!
Quite plainly, anyone who is conversant with the chaotic, unpredictable and mudslinging political water of Oyo state would get this idea of a single political narrative – straight on – and the danger it portends. For the record, a single political narrative peddled by power brokers has led to the illegal impeachment of a Governor in Oyo state.
Take for instance, the two dominant parties in the state are both troubled by this idea of ‘tribalization’ and polarization of political views and conversations and narrative. Indeed, beneath every superficially cosmetic political discourse among political gladiators lie an almost incurable fisticuffs that have spit, divided, disunited and held their affairs by jugular. In other words, single political narrative has more arm than good to the political development and maturation of the state. The two side of the story will help create a robust and intriguing political atmosphere.
In Oyo state for example, PDP is divided into the loyalists of the Governor and aggrieved members (those who passed vote of no Confidence of the Governor). In the local parlance, these two ‘frienemies’ are dubbed ‘Oyo’ and ‘Ekiti’ apparently referring to the stiff opposition Mr. Fayose from Ekiti, gave the Governor at the election won by Ambassador Taofeek Arapaja at Osogbo — the Governor’s backed candidate. In addition, there is the Teslim Folarin brand politics of ‘Jagbaism’ in APC and Akin Oke ‘national headquarters to the rescue’ group.
In a way, the greatest danger of a single political narrative is the eruption of ‘we’ versus ‘they’ polarization and politicization of conversation. This single political narrative also provides a fertile ground for ‘victims’ and ‘perpetrators’ kind of politics. The aggrieved PDP members for instance have mastered the art and craft of presenting themselves, and their cases through the lens of the underdogs and the victimized. And to some extent, there is an iota of truism in their cases. Partly because injustice anywhere is an injustice everywhere. And most importantly, because an injury to one as most trade unions in the country love to say, is an injury to all.
Discarding the cries and hues of aggrieved PDP members does not serve anyone neither does blame game and fault finding the government they jointly put to power change the status quo.
When politics in general and governance in particular is seen through the narrow scope of a single narrative, the effect is the wanton spread of fears, lies, deceits and propaganda. Donald Trump winning card was the spread of vitriolic rhetoric against the established order. Plus President Muhammadu Buhari also won 2015 elections largely on account of fear, emotion, empty promises and propaganda largely anchored by Alhaji Lai Muhammed.
It is why Oyo APC is so balkanized and polarized into two dangerously bitter groups with each pointing accusing fingers on the other. And it is why the leadership crisis tearing the party is taking longer than expected. In fact, the party is in utter dilemma that one size fits all solution cannot put its crisis to rest. Despite having the simple majority, ‘the National headquarters to the rescue’ aka Akin Oke’s group seems caught between the rock and the hard place as it continues to play from defensive side while the Teslim Folarin and ex Governor Akala combination keep matching forward with mirthful abandon. How a minority upturned the table against the majority keep unsettling those who still believe in democracy.
In other words, a single political narrative help create an offensive and defensive kind of politics where one party play second fiddle, dance to the gallery by justifying and rationalizing and explaining their ordeals while the other shrug off complains and blames. Each warring faction portends a great danger to democracy.
It is well-known that democracy thrives on account of debate. But debates as it stands is under threat with a single political narrative. Narrative by their nature are wired to stoke fears, emotion, anxiety, resentment and hatred.
Similarly, a single political narrative is built around fault-finding, blame game, and the dark, destructive and dangerous side of human emotion. Because it does not leaves room for divergent opinions and rich mixed of views; it is one sided, uni-dimensional and self-serving. The simmering tension across the two major parties in the state have shine line on this danger.
But it is not all gloomy. There can still be light at the end of this single political narrative tunnel. Partly because maintaining a balance in this regard helps restore sanity in the body polity and cut the rate of confusion in large part. When politics and polity is rife with a single political narrative, it is the common man on the street who bear the brunt. It is the common man on the street who take side in the ego war between various political leaders.
In a sense, every single political narrative is crafted to bring about superiority and inferiority divide; in other words, It is geared towards inflating ego by making others look bad for what they’ve done and what they’ve failed to do. The aggrieved PDP members for instances are hell-bent at painting Governor Seyi Makinde and his loyalists as bad, promise breakers and party crashers. While the Teslim Folarin group of the APC seems determined to keep the party structure firmly even when such crumbles the party on their head. In other words, it is all about ego.
“Whatever form it takes” Eckart Tolle says in his book A New Earth “the unconscious drive behind ego is to strengthen the image of who I think I am, the phantom self that came into existence when thought – a great blessing as well as a great curse – began to take over and obscured the simple yet profound joy of connectedness with Being, the Source, God. Whatever behavior the ego manifests, the hidden motivating force is always the same: the need to stand out, be special, be in control; the need for power, for attention, for more. And, of course, the need to feel a sense of separation, that is to say, the need for opposition, enemies”.
OYO101, Muftau Gbadegesin’s opinion on issues affecting Oyo State, is published on Saturdays. He can be reached via muftaugbadegesin@gmail.com and 09065176850.
