GSM, Beyond Toxic Criticism ||▪︎ By Isiaka Kehinde (Mr Ethics)

The social-media space has become increasingly saturated with mudslinging, barb- throwing, and political name-calling. In the contest for public perception, some commentators appear determined to portray Governor Oluseyi Abiodun Makinde in the worst possible light, hoping that sustained repetition will eventually alter how people perceive his administration Some degenerate into calling him unprintable names – Arobafin, Ajagungbale, Akotileta, and the likes.

But can noise, by itself, erase an established perception?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rather than becoming distracted by what may be described as a bandwagon approach to political criticism, Makinde appears to have chosen a different response: allowing his record and public engagements to provide the counterargument. We all know Macron and how Seyi Makinde s excellence turns it into an empire. Simple questions on a number of legal turfs handled before by a lawyer who wants to be a governor or his track records is now generating furoee.In the midst of the increasingly heated political atmosphere, GSM has continued to project himself as a politician who would rather engage issues than trade insults.

 

The situation brings to mind Wole Soyinka’s Season of Anomy, the 1973 novel whose fictional world explores the consequences of moral and social disorder. The comparison is not about equating contemporary political discourse with Soyinka’s fiction but about recognising how easily public debate can descend when arguments give way to personal attacks.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Much of the current social-media conversation has increasingly revolved around attacks directed at Makinde and his preferred political successor in Oyo State, Bimbo Adekambi. Both have, at various times, responded to criticism by emphasising issues, records, and their respective approaches to public service rather than making personal attacks the centrepiece of political engagement.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There is wisdom in the Yoruba saying:

“Ìpá tí a ń pa òṣè, ara ló fi ń san.” plots to mow down a baobab tree, ends in futility.

The more the pestle strikes the mortar, the more the mortar receives the impact positively and becomes stronger.

Political attacks can sometimes produce an effect quite different from the one intended. GSM was welcomed by a tumultuous crowd yesterday back to the office after his vacation. They welcomed him back with fanfare. What more can be used as indices for personality ratings ?

 

Makinde’s argument about professional excellence is one example. His position, as expressed in his public interventions, is that people should endeavour to build competence and distinguish themselves in their chosen professions rather than regard politics merely as an escape route or shortcut to relevance. This is the Hedgehog concept in brief.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

That proposition is hardly revolutionary. Aristotle is often credited with the observation that excellence is developed through repeated practice and habit. The broader principle is simple: competence in public life is connected to the discipline of developing competence before seeking public office.

Yet political discourse can sometimes turn even a discussion about professional preparation into another opportunity for personal attacks.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is where the distinction between issue-based politics and personality-based politics becomes important.

If political actors insist that campaigns should be about policies, programmes, records, and competing visions for the future, then the same standard should apply across the political divide. Criticism is an essential component of democracy, but criticism becomes more useful when it interrogates ideas, decisions, and measurable outcomes rather than merely throwing verbal stones.

I received a call that sounded like a threat. ” Be prepared for our calculated attempt on Makinde. It would come sporadically from different angles like a welder light , he can’t escape it. ” I just smiled.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The real test, therefore, is not how loud one can dominate the social-media space or decimate political opportunists. It is whether one’s arguments can survive scrutiny beyond the digital echo chamber.

Elections are ultimately contests involving real citizens, real communities, and real choices. Social media can shape conversation, but it is only one part of the political ecosystem. The electorate will ultimately assess the competing narratives, personalities, records, and promises presented to them.

The emerging lesson should, therefore, be clear: political competition does not have to become a contest in character assassination.

There is still room for disagreement without degradation, criticism without contempt, and competition without abandoning civility.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For the political camp that has made GSM their headache, the challenge remains the same: keep recruiting, as they say in local parlance, “e o ti po to.” ideas, not insults; build arguments, not caricatures; and let the electorate judge the competing records and propositions. 2027 elections will separate noise from the real perception.