Apologies & Insults

From most indicators, we are in a new season. A season of reflections and apologies. Many who supported President Buhari in 2015 are apologising for their errors and those who didn’t are gloating.

Perhaps by design or default, it seems many of our public intellectuals have missed the point. It is not and has never been a crime to exercise one’s democratic right to vote. Therefore, we should not be apologising for our decisions.

The truth is, many of us who opposed Buhari did so based on his past record as a dictator and his utterances during the campaigns. However, history only serves as a guide. It does not guarantee a certain outcome. So, it was possible that Buhari could have won and proven us wrong. Unfortunately he hasn’t but if he had, why should we be expected to apologise?

I agree that apologies are owed but not for electoral choices. Rather they are owed for the insults hurled and deliberate lies told all for the sake of politics.

Permit me to make things a bit personal but in my case, I was called an ethnic bigot, idiot & fool just because I refused to accept the received wisdom that Buhari was the man to save Nigeria. Others including my good friends @eloka51 and @iamtenseven were also insulted for airing their contrary opinions. I don’t think i insulted anyone but if i did, i am sorry.

Most are in agreement that we ought to learn the lessons of 2015 and avoid similar mistakes in 2019. I agree with such views but I think the lesson to learn is, we must engage with civility so that we can reflect on contrary views. In effect, tolerance is key.

Tolerance must equally apply to Buhari’s supporters. If we move from insulting ‘GEJites’ in 2015 to insulting ‘Buharists’ in 2019, then I fear that we haven’t learned our lesson. Why? Because it is possible that Buhari might run in 2019 but his opponent might be worse than him. But if all we do is curse Buhari’s supporters, there’ll be no room for engagement & reflection and we could end up electing a President who performs worse that Buhari.

In conclusion, there’s no need to apologise for our electoral choices. There is however the need to apologise for the use of insults. Most importantly, if Buhari runs for office in 2019, he deserves a fair hearing. As long as he’s a candidate, he is an option!