To impress it upon his supporters and admirers that he is capable of throwing political jabs at his opponents, Governor Seyi Makinde has, on several occasions, allowed his attempts at mockery to carry him into statements that require far more caution from a sitting governor.

One of the most memorable examples was during the 2023 governorship debate moderated by Edmund Obilo, when Senator Teslim Folarin questioned the rationale behind Makinde’s appointment of Mukaila Auxiliary, whom Folarin described as an ex-convict, as chairman of the Park Management System. In response, Makinde asked, “Who killed Eleweomo?” and stated that the case file was on his table. The exchange was widely reported.

The implication was serious enough to demand clarification. Days later, former Oyo State Attorney-General Abdulsalam Abdullah publicly stated that there was no evidence linking Folarin to Eleweomo’s murder and said there was no such case against Folarin when he left office. An interview with former Governor Adebayo Alao-Akala, subsequently played during another Edmund Obilo programme, was also reported as saying that Folarin could not have committed the murder.

The latest example is Makinde’s attempt to ridicule Senator Sharafadeen Alli over his legal career by insinuating that Alli never appeared in court to defend a client. That attempt exposes a rather basic misunderstanding of legal practice. A lawyer’s professional status is not determined simply by how frequently he personally stands before a judge. Legal practitioners work in different areas, including solicitors’ practice, legal advisory work, corporate and commercial matters, drafting, research, conveyancing, legislative work and advocacy.

More importantly, the available biographical record establishes that Alli actually practised law. After obtaining his LL.B from the University of Ibadan and attending the Nigerian Law School, he was called to the Nigerian Bar and commenced legal practice in 1988. He practised at A.E. Enumah & Associates, Barristers and Solicitors, and subsequently worked as Counsel at R.A. Sarumi & Co., Ibadan, a firm described as Solicitors, Advocates and Notary Public, from 1988 to 1991.

So, if Makinde’s point was that Alli was not a lawyer, the record disproves him. If his point was that Alli did not personally appear in a particular court case, that is an entirely different claim, and one that would require evidence, not political banter. There is nothing wrong with political humour. There is everything wrong with a governor allowing political humour to outrun facts.

Governor Makinde occupies an office where words carry weight. A statement made casually at a rally may be dismissed as political banter when made by an ordinary partisan, but when it comes from the governor, it can create impressions that have consequences. Perhaps the governor should therefore learn the difference between a good political jab and a reckless assertion. The former may win laughter. The latter may only expose the speaker to the very scrutiny he intended for his opponent.

Makinde is yet to perfect the art of throwing jabs. He should be told that governance demands accuracy, restraint and responsibility; more valuable than his unclever retorts.