Who Appointed You The Owners of Otoge?
By Kehinde Olanrewaju Ibrahim
The latest statement by the so-called "Founding Leaders" of the Otoge Movement is nothing more than an attempt to hijack a revolution that was never theirs to own. It reeks of political arrogance and the desperate desire to rewrite history.
Otoge was not born in the living rooms of political elites. It was built by millions of frustrated Kwarans who risked everything to end decades of political domination. No individual or carefully assembled group of signatories has the moral authority to determine who can or cannot identify with that struggle.
It is laughable that those preaching about a "collective struggle" are the very ones trying to privatize it. If Otoge truly belongs to the people, then stop acting like shareholders in a company issuing certificates of membership.
The attempt to brand every dissatisfied APC member as a "political nomad" is both insulting and intellectually dishonest. Democracy is not slavery. Political parties are not military barracks where questioning leadership becomes treason. The right to challenge injustice, demand fairness, and criticize internal party decisions is a democratic right not an act of rebellion.
Even more disturbing is the dangerous suggestion that loyalty to political office holders should override loyalty to the ideals that gave birth to Otoge. The movement was never created to worship governors, presidents, or party leaders. It was created to enthrone accountability, fairness, and responsive leadership. Once those values are abandoned, the slogan becomes meaningless.
Instead of attacking those raising uncomfortable questions, perhaps the self-appointed custodians of Otoge should answer the questions many Kwarans are asking: Has the movement fulfilled every promise it made? Has internal democracy improved? Has every loyal stakeholder been treated fairly? Has power remained with the people, or merely changed hands?
The truth many refuse to acknowledge is that Otoge was a means to an end, not the end itself. It was a vehicle for change, not a permanent political franchise to be controlled by a privileged few.
Parading dozens of signatures cannot manufacture legitimacy. History is not written by press releases. It is written by the people who stood under the scorching sun, defended their votes, and made Otoge possible. Those people have not surrendered their voices to any committee of self-proclaimed founders.
If Otoge has become so sacred that asking questions is now considered betrayal, then the movement has become exactly what it was created to destroy.
The owners of Otoge are the people of Kwara, not politicians, not factions, not pressure groups, and certainly not anyone attempting to monopolize the legacy of a people's revolution.
Kwarans are wiser today. They know the difference between defending a movement and defending political interests disguised as principle.
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