By Hunpegan Samuel Semako The recent article by Hon. (Chief) Abel Hunwi, though passionately written, reflects a growing tendency in our po...
By Hunpegan Samuel Semako
The recent article by Hon. (Chief) Abel Hunwi, though passionately written, reflects a growing tendency in our politics to confuse longevity with performance and sentiment with accountability. Badagry people are too politically conscious to be swayed by emotional rhetoric or subtle intimidation masked as concern for development.
Let us be clear from the outset: nobody is dragging Badagry backwards by asking for better representation. On the contrary, it is backward thinking to assume that a constituency must perpetually recycle one individual simply because he has occupied an office for years.
Experience is valuable, yes but experience without commensurate impact is not a credential; it is a question mark.
Badagry Constituency II is not asking for slogans, but neither are we satisfied with recycled justifications and selective scorecards. After three terms in the Lagos State House of Assembly, the people are entitled to ask sincere questions:
What has changed fundamentally in the lives of ordinary constituents?
Which landmark constituency-driven projects can be clearly attributed to legislative influence?
How many youths have been sustainably empowered beyond token gestures?
These questions are not shenanigans. They are the essence of democracy.
The repeated emphasis on “principal officer status” may sound impressive, but titles alone do not translate automatically to grassroots transformation. Representation is not measured by proximity to power but by the dividends of governance felt at home. Badagry people know the difference.
Equally troubling is the attempt to frame calls for change as a conspiracy by unnamed “state executive actors.” This narrative is both convenient and dangerous. It subtly suggests that the will of the people is irrelevant unless it aligns with a predetermined outcome. That posture undermines internal democracy and insults the intelligence of Badagry voters.
No individual, no matter how long they have served, is bigger than the constituency. Public office is not an inheritance, nor is it a lifetime appointment. Democracy thrives on renewal, competition, and the freedom to choose.
Badagry has capable sons and daughters with ideas, energy, and vision for the future. Supporting an alternative does not amount to hatred, sabotage, or disloyalty. It is simply the exercise of democratic choice.
Invoking past political grievances and playing the “they are not God” card does not strengthen an argument, it exposes insecurity. Politics should be about persuasion, not threats; about records, not rhetoric.
Badagry Constituency II must move forward with maturity. Let ideas compete. Let records be scrutinised. Let the people decide freely without fear, without manipulation, and without emotional blackmail.
That is politics beyond shenanigans.
That is democracy.
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