Post by Adedayo Oduwobi (@stopit)

2027 POLITICS: TIMI DAKOLO SAYS “DON’T MAKE ENEMIES BECAUSE OF POLITICS”—BUT WHAT IF POLITICS IS AFFECTING YOUR LIFE? 🇳🇬

EPISODE 1 OF 6: PEACE OR SILENCE?

Timi Dakolo reportedly wrote: “Stop making enemies because of politics.”

It is a message worth thinking about. Politics should not make us hate our friends, abandon our families, insult our neighbours or treat every person who disagrees with us as an enemy.

But after reading the reactions, I think there is a deeper conversation we need to have.

Because when Nigerians hear, “Don’t make enemies because of politics,” some are asking:

What if the politics you are telling me to ignore is affecting whether I can feed my children?

What if it determines whether my child gets a decent education?

What if it determines whether I can afford medical treatment?

What if it determines whether I can travel safely on the road?

What if it determines whether my community is protected from kidnappers and terrorists?

What if the decisions of those in power are affecting my livelihood, my dignity and my future?

Can you simply tell such a person, “Don’t make enemies”?

That is where we need to make an important distinction.

YOU CAN REFUSE TO HATE PEOPLE WITHOUT REFUSING TO HOLD POWER ACCOUNTABLE.

There is a difference between making a personal enemy out of someone because they support a different political party and holding a public official accountable for decisions that affect millions of people.

Your neighbour who supports a different candidate is not automatically your enemy.

Your friend who sees politics differently is not automatically a bad person.

Your brother who votes for another party is still your brother.

But a public official’s decisions are not merely private opinions. They can affect public hospitals, schools, roads, electricity, security, employment, taxation and the cost of living.

And when those decisions cause suffering, citizens have every right to question them.

Peaceful relationships should not require political silence.

In Part 2: Why politics is not just about who sits in Aso Rock.

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