The mayor of Fadeyi and founder of Naija Lives Matter, Ope Banwo, has said elected representatives should be more concerned about disappointing their constituents than offending influential political figures.
Banwo stated this while reacting to the recent public apology by Lagos State House of Assembly member Desmond Elliot to the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila.
Elliot was recently seen kneeling before Gbajabiamila during a meeting with APC leaders, asking for forgiveness over the political disagreement that followed the party’s primary election for Surulere Constituency I. He also addressed Gbajabiamila as “Daddy” and described him as his political father and mentor.
The development came after Elliot withdrew from the APC primary, alleging that his supporters were intimidated and denied access to the voting venue. Barakat Odunuga-Bakare subsequently emerged as the party’s candidate.
Reacting to the incident, Banwo questioned the influence of what he described as political “godfathers” over elected officials, asking why a politician should fear another politician more than the electorate.
“Why should an elected representative have to fear another politician more than he fears disappointing the electorate?” Banwo asked.
According to him, the situation reflects a political structure in which politicians often look upward to party leaders and influential figures who can determine their political future, instead of looking downward to the voters who elected them.
“The politician looks upward instead of downward,” he said.
Banwo said he found it troubling that accomplished professionals could enter politics with established careers and gradually become dependent on powerful political figures for political survival.
He, however, distinguished between showing respect and surrendering personal dignity for political relevance.
“There is a difference between respect and public self-abasement to appease another human being,” he said.
“There is a difference between apologising for wrongdoing and publicly begging for political survival.”
Banwo said there was nothing wrong with apologising when someone believes he has offended another person, but argued that party loyalty should not mean surrendering personal independence.
He said the spectacle involving Elliot was part of a wider pattern in Nigerian politics, where lawyers, professors, businessmen, entertainers and other accomplished people sometimes become heavily dependent on political patrons after entering public office.
According to him, the development raises questions about the extent to which elected officials can remain accountable to their constituents when their political future depends heavily on influential figures within their parties.
Banwo said the issue was therefore bigger than Elliot, stressing that political office should not come at the cost of an individual’s independence and dignity.
“Some opportunities are simply too expensive if the admission price is your independence and dignity,” he said.
Elliot had previously apologised to Gbajabiamila in May over earlier political disagreements, saying any misunderstanding between them was not deliberate and reaffirming his loyalty to the party and commitment to his constituency.
Banwo, while wishing Elliot well, said the incident should encourage Nigerians to examine the relationship between elected representatives, voters, party structures and influential political figures.
