Tobias Sylvester
There was mild drama at a Christ Apostolic Church in Gaa Akanbi, Kwara State, when Kayode Alabi, deputy governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), went visiting.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Alabi, who mounted the pulpit to read the Yoruba version of the Bible, asked the congregation to open to Deuteronomy 3:26 and Numbers 16:17, both of which contained the phrase, “ó tó gé.”
Ó tó gé, a slogan of the APC in the state, literally means enough is enough. The party has been using the slogan against Senate President, Bukola Saraki, who wields strong political influence in Kwara.
One of the congregants read the verses of the scripture amidst thunderous applause from the church members.
When it got to the place where the slogan is, Alabi said “ó tó gé,” and left the pulpit, without adding another word.
After the service, He explained to NAN that the slogan was borne out of the myriad of problems confronting the state such as moribund industries, lack of pipe-borne water and deplorable public schools, among others.
The state government had, in 2018, written a letter to the Kwara State Signage Advertising Agency to put a stop to the slogan because, according to the state government, it contained hate speech. I
The APC, however, responded by saying that it was a mere campaign slogan containing no hate speech, stressing that it was meant to drum up support for the party in the state.
