Date: 2016-02-15

When Sulyman Buhari - Kwara APC publicity secretary - labeled an opposition group in Kwara as filthy individuals, it showed clearly the symptom of the rot in Kwara's political culture and a need to engender a new, tolerant and a positive ideologically based political culture. In other climes, Sulyman Buhari would have lost his position in the ruling party for calling citizens that disagree with them filthy individuals. But here in Kwara as it is perhaps in the rest of the country, not only would he not lose his job, he would be commended by his paymasters for the hatchet job he just carried out against his fellow Kwarans. This, my friends, is a pathetic state of affairs.

While the Kwara APC publicity secretary is the latest among a long line of those in Kwara's rulership who routinely abuse and hold in contempt other Kwarans that does not agree with them, as Kwarans, we must rise up against this insidious attitude that seek to drive a wedge between us.

We must agree that while our political beliefs may be different, our sense of brotherhood should not be lost on the altar of political differences. I will concede that there are some in Kwara's opposition that may perhaps vehemently detest what the present rulership stands for and their attitude may resemble that of the Kwara APC publicity secretary but I am yet to read of any major opposition figure who will pen an opinion article or issue a press statement calling other Kwarans with whom he disagrees "filthy". There ought to be a line in our politics that we should not cross for the sake of our shared humanity.

As I stated earlier, the attitude displayed by Sulyman Buhari is not an isolated one. I have heard from reliable sources how husband and wife, brothers and sisters and whole families have been turned apart because of differences in political beliefs in Kwara.

In the light of this, I consider any political culture that divides rather than unites a people as a dangerous contraption that men and women of goodwill must fight to uproot.

I insist that when Kwara wins, we all win together. That does not mean that our differences will go away but it means that we must have the large heart necessary to always put Kwara first. This is one mindset those at the helm of affairs in Kwara today must strive to emulate. It is a sad day in Kwara when the ruling party spokesman without qualms called other citizens "filthy" only because of political differences. So who is the filthy one now? I guess the answer to that question is obvious to any discerning mind.

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