Political debate is healthy. Political disagreement is necessary. But when public commentary risks tilting from accountability into insinuation, the burden of proof becomes unavoidable.

Prince Semako Babatunde Kuwande’s intervention into the ongoing discourse between Prince Samuel Mawutin #Ofade and Hon. (Engr.) #Setonji David reframes the conversation from emotion to structure, from grievance to governance. It is a response that neither dismisses Chief Ofade’s stature nor accepts, without scrutiny, the implications of his recent post.

Chief Ofade is not a political novice. As former Party Chairman of the defunct National Republican Convention (NRC) in Badagry Local Government—then encompassing the entire Badagry Federation—he once presided over an era that produced enduring political leadership. That legacy alone means his words deserve attention, not ridicule.

Yet respect does not preclude interrogation.

Is This About Accountability—or Undermining?

At the heart of Kuwande’s response is a legitimate and unavoidable question:

• Is Chief Ofade’s intervention an objective critique of governance, or a calculated attempt to weaken the prospects of Hon. Setonji David as he approaches another electoral cycle?

This distinction matters.

Comparing a three-term legislator with a first-term Assembly member without situating their roles within the realities of legislative hierarchy, budgetary cycles, and political seniority risks oversimplifying governance into photo evidence and material distribution. Lagos State politics does not operate on optics alone; it runs on networks, institutional memory, and accrued influence.

Hon. Setonji David’s emergence as Deputy Chief Whip was not accidental, nor was it a product of sentimentality. It was earned through experience, competence, and political trust—factors that are not visible in empowerment photographs but are decisive in legislative chambers.

Longevity Is Not a Crime

The popular slogan that “longevity without performance is meaningless” is valid—but incomplete. Longevity with performance, continuity, and strategic relevance can be an asset, particularly in a state like Lagos where seniority directly affects access, negotiation power, and constituency leverage.

#Kuwande rightly challenges the narrative that extended service automatically equates to stagnation. If that logic were applied consistently, some of Badagry’s most influential political figures—once resisted during prolonged tenures—would never have shaped the federation’s trajectory.

Claims Require Evidence

Perhaps the most pointed aspect of Kuwande’s rebuttal is his demand for substantiation. Allegations that Hon. Setonji David is seeking a fourth term based on a promised Speakership ambition are serious. Such claims, if made publicly, must be supported with verifiable evidence.

Political alarmism without proof weakens democratic discourse and shifts debate from facts to fear. Ambition, after all, is not a crime. Contesting again—even for a fifth term—is a constitutional right. The electorate, not preemptive verdicts, retains the final authority.

Democracy Is Not Sectional

Kuwande also cautions against the subtle re-emergence of parochial politics. Badagry’s Assembly seat was birthed by collective history, not clan entitlement. Any attempt to frame future representation along sectional lines must equally be open to contestation.

Politics thrives on openness, debate, and choice—not intimidation, moral absolutism, or retrospective bitterness.

The Way Forward: Debate, Not Demolition

Badagry does not benefit from internal sabotage or pull-him-down politics. It benefits from transparent debates where incumbents and aspirants alike defend records, articulate vision, and submit themselves to public scrutiny.

Principle must always outweigh partisanship. Accountability must be consistent. And criticism must be rooted in truth, not timing.

Badagry is awake—but awakening must come with clarity, not confusion.