Lagos Must Not Reward Arrogance With Power

Lagos must not reward arrogance, prejudice or ethnic mobilisation with political power. A city with a rich history and sophisticated political consciousness deserves leaders who respect its people, institutions and traditions not politicians who expect history to forget them.

The present political pairing is troubling because it combines two serious liabilities: one marked by hubris and entitlement, the other seemingly committed to an ethnic power grab while disregarding the culture, traditions and historical sensibilities of the people he seeks to govern.

Its deeper weakness is the assumption that Lagosians have forgotten.

Those who mocked, denigrated or dismissed respected elders and notable voices cannot reinvent themselves at election time and expect history to disappear. We remember the rhetoric, the contempt and the mob mentality used against dissenters including the infamous “I talk to mad people” mentality.

Lagos must not mistake insolence for courage, ignorance for authenticity or ethnic mobilisation for leadership. Voters should demand temperament, restraint, respect for institutions and a genuine understanding of Lagos’s history not noise, identity politics or crowd control.

“Sheenedu” may be excused for political naivety or wilful ignorance. But the man beside him must first confront his own record. Leadership is not ambition disguised as confidence; it is the discipline to respect others, weigh one’s words and understand that public office is a responsibility, not an entitlement.

For a party still burdened by the reputational damage caused by its most aggressive and destructive elements, pairing these two liabilities looks less like a strategy than a reminder of what Lagos voters have already rejected.

Lagos deserves leaders who honour its history, respect its people and unite rather than divide them. It must not reward those who insult its memory with the power to shape its future.