This brief philosophical observation is not by any stretch of the imagination the subject of this rejoinder; but it is nonetheless necessary to draw the attention of the two aforementioned columnists that the word ‘morality’ is very elastic and defining and applying it correctly is often very tricky.

Although they differed in style and semantics, the focus and subject of the two articles were essentially the same: The subject was the Saraki’s of Kwara and the focus was the appropriateness or otherwise of the Saraki’s political position as the country prepares for the April 2011 elections. From the way they presented their arguments, it was evident that the two gentlemen are genuinely concerned and not necessarily out to cause mischief or driven by envy, which is more than what one can say about so many of our public commentators these days.

Let’s quickly run to the heart of the matter, as presented by those two writers.

Dr. Olusola Saraki is without doubt one of (if not) the most successful politician in Nigeria today. He was Senate Leader in the Second Republic which lasted from 1979-83; his eldest son, also a medical doctor, Bukola Saraki has been governor of Kwara State for the past eight years; Governor Bukola’s younger sister Gbemisola has so far spent a cumulative 12 years in the National Assembly (four years as a member of the House and eight years as senator).

Now as for the 2011 elections, her father wants Gbemisola to succeed her brother as governor while the brother is running for the seat she is vacating, that is the Kwara central senatorial seat.  Both Adibe and Aremu are of the view that this is morally wrong, because in the words of Adibe it amounts to the “feudalization of Kwara”; while Aremu screams at its being the mother of all “nepotism”.

Fine words but wrong applications; to begin with, feudalism and democracy do not and cannot co-exist. You either have one or the other; and democracy does not lead to feudalism, it is usually the other way round. As for nepotism, it is actually a product of, and not an instrument to public position. But given that our democracy is still at infancy (and a twisted one at that) even this misapplication of concept might have been overlooked if those two writers had not made some very fundamental omissions in their arguments.

The first serious omission those two made was to completely ignore the perception, attitude, judgment and power of the people of Kwara State in this very intriguing political situation. Their arguments would have been more convincing if they’d taken time to address the basic question: Who gave both Governor Bukola and Senator Gbemisola Saraki their present mandate? In other words, were both freely and fairly elected? If the answer is yes—and it is—then we have to be careful who we criticize and how we criticize; because inadvertently we may end up insulting the intelligence of the people whose interest we imagine we are protecting. Talk to Kwara people; don’t tell them what to do.

The second omission both Adibe and Aremu made was to overlook the very important fact that if the Saraki family members are enjoying more than their fair share of political advantages in the state, it is the heir apparent to the same Saraki  family that is leading the drive towards ending that monopoly; this should count for something because it is difficult to imagine any other political family in  the country that would have taken such an unprecedented political decision against itself.

And then there is the issue of merit and quality of the principal actors in this great political drama which both writers touched upon very casually. Both Jideofor and Aremu in their articles admitted that as governor, Bukola Saraki has performed above average; but that was a very economic way of putting it. The truth is that for a state that is at number 34 out of 36 on the revenue allocation table, Bukola’s performance in both relative and absolute terms is nothing short of a distinction.

Thus rather than supporting his younger sibling or going for a puppet, Bukola decided to settle for a young man that is eminently qualified by every standard as his successor. I know Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed, the PDP Governorship candidate for Kwara State very well; he was with Guarantee Trust Bank while I was a manager at the then  Gulf Bank, our jobs and positions frequently brought us together and we were all able to assess each other.  Apart from having a private sector background, he is the best positioned to provide the kind of continuity that Kwara State needs to maintain its present enviable momentum, having been involved in the government at the highest level throughout its lifespan. This is not to mention the fact that Kwara central, where Abdulfatah comes from has never produced the governor and this would be their first chance to do so if he wins.

So will Governor Bukola and Abdulfatah (assuming he wins the election) ever be  in conflict? Most certainly yes; but just like the case of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and Fashola in Lagos, in the end, it is the need to sustain the legacy that he has started which will hold the duo of Bukola and his successor together. As a former commissioner of Finance, Economic Planning and Chairman of Shonga  Holdings ( one of Saraki’s most successful projects),  Abdulfatah knows very well how the state government has been able to achieve so much with so little. So in conclusion, my honest advice to our opinion leaders is to be very conscious of the sensibilities of their readers; as they say ‘opinion is free, but truth is sacred’.

Abubakar wrote from 48, France Road, Kano