By Kunle Oyatomi
OUR revered human rights activist, Femi Falana, is a man of incredible repute.
He is a lawyer par excellence who always tries to show empathy towards the oppressed.
Apart from being a member of numerous professional bodies within and outside the country, his opinions on issues are always well respected.
He is not just an opinion moulder but also an agenda-setter whose views are listened to. However, there is one area in which he has failed woefully, and that is politics.
When he contested the governorship election in Ekiti State about two decades ago, he quickly learnt that the game of politics was not the same as spitting fire and brimstone at government, appearing on television stations to awaken the national consciousness, standing in court to defend the wretched of the earth (apologies to Frantz Fanon), or marching through the streets with placards in hand, fists in the air and songs of solidarity on their lips.
Many years ago, he learnt why there is a saying on Nigeria’s streets: “Leave politics for politicians.” But to this very moment, it appears he has learnt no lessons from that tragic moment in his political career, as he continues to churn out unfeasible political ideas that run contrary to the pursuit of success in a genuine election.
One would have expected that a loquacious public figure like him would have been able to turn his outspokenness into votes in Ekiti. But, to put it in the words of the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, it was “faaaafoul!” It simply goes to show that in politics, “too much talk no dey full basket.”
But Falana would not stop speaking, even on subjects that are not his forte. For instance, just a few days ago, he described the country’s current democracy as rickety, warning that violence would be introduced, and called for a group to defend people’s votes, particularly in Lagos.
To be candid, I was miffed to hear a man of that calibre spit out such gibberish. But when I remembered how he failed as a politician and his inability to turn the credits he received from activism into electoral victory in Ekiti State like our African brothers, Mandela and Nkrumah, among many others did in their various countries, I looked away.
Despite that, I still asked myself these questions: isn’t the human rights activist aware that the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, LP, Peter Obi, defeated President Bola Tinubu in Lagos State in 2023? Must he be reminded that while Obi polled 582,454 votes to defeat Jagaban, who scored 572,606 votes, in his backyard?
Hear him speak in the one-minute-and-43-second clip circulating on social media:
“The coastal road has now become a land road. I am sure you are aware. What I am saying is that after Ogun State, they now said they are going from Edo to go by land because they can’t fund it. Let us ask this question: where is the N15 trillion earmarked for that road? That is the only way we can get these people to be accountable. Let me warn the candidates, going by what happened in the last election, violence will be introduced. Many people will not be allowed to vote unless you guys are ready, regardless of your political parties, to form a group that will defend the vote of everybody in Lagos. We did not fight for this rickety democracy so that someone will look at your face and say, ‘Oh, you should not vote.’ I want to beg you, if you are ready to defend the vote of everybody, it is very important because those who cannot win an election resort to violence and thuggery, saying that because you come from somewhere and do not look like a Yoruba man, you must not vote in Lagos. That must not be allowed.”
Unlike activism, where violence or non-violence may be the tools of engagement, politics is a game of numbers, and the only way to get those numbers is by putting in the work at the grassroots. Falana needs to understand this. He should also know that if the opposition plays its cards well, it can perform well in Lagos and Nigeria as a whole, as Peter Obi demonstrated in 2023.
Or is he saying that if the APC wins in Lagos, there should be a gang-up to deny it victory? In fact, what informed his opinion that the opposition? Incitement is a crime, and Falana, SAN, should understand that.
In 2023, Tinubu did not win Lagos in the presidential election. Did INEC say otherwise? However, Sanwo-Olu won the governorship election fairly and squarely. So, what is Falana up to?
The 2027 election is a different kettle of fish. No one has said that non-Yoruba people must or should not vote in Lagos. Falana is fostering trouble with his statement, speaking without empirical evidence.
Oyatomi Esq., is a former Editor Sunday Vanguard 1999-2010: Author FINGERPRINTS: Nigeria’s Tangled Transition to Nationhood (2008); and currently on the Board of Independent Media & Policy Initiative (IMPI), a Think-Tank based in Abuja
