The Eselu of Iselu Kingdom in Yewa North Local Government Area of Ogun State, Oba Akintunde Akinyemi, has urged residents of the state to reject politicians who fail to respond to calls and messages from the people they seek to govern.
Oba Akinyemi also advised traditional rulers, chiefs, politicians, civil society organisations and other stakeholders in the state to take communication between public office holders and citizens seriously, warning that communication gaps could erode public trust and fuel misinformation.
The monarch, in a statement on Sunday, said the failure of public office holders to communicate effectively with the people could create an “information vacuum” capable of undermining governance and political legitimacy.
According to him, citizens who are unable to reach their leaders may become suspicious of their motives and interpret their silence as an attempt to conceal wrongdoing.
“When a public office holder fails to communicate with his/her people, such an action causes a dangerous information vacuum that destroys public trust, breeds misinformation, and paralyses governance,” he said.
The monarch further argued that poor communication could result in a breakdown of trust and loss of public confidence, leaving citizens feeling “ignored and disconnected” from their leaders.
He also identified suspicion of corruption as another consequence of poor communication, noting that silence by public officials could be interpreted as “guilt, secrecy, or a sign that the official is hiding wrongdoing.”
Akinyemi said communication was essential to transparency and accountability, stressing that citizens could not effectively hold public officials responsible for their actions when there was little or no communication.
He added that communication gaps could also encourage rumour-mongering, fake news and conspiracy theories, while politicised narratives could be hijacked by opponents of an office holder.
The Eselu warned that the consequences could become more severe during emergencies, saying poor communication could escalate crises, cause public panic and undermine compliance with government directives.
He maintained that responding to calls and messages should be regarded as a basic responsibility of anyone holding public office or seeking elective office.
“Without mincing words, the habit of responding to calls and messages is a key responsibility of any public office holder; hence, any public office holder or party’s candidate who makes him/herself incommunicado does not deserve the votes of Ogun traditional rulers or the votes of the entire citizens of Ogun State.
“My candid advice to co-traditional rulers, chiefs, politicians and electorate in Ogun State, including civil society organisations, is that we should not vote for any governorship candidates or politicians seeking governorship or any elective positions, no matter their social status, who do not pick up calls or respond to messages of the citizens they desire to lead,” Akinyemi said.
He added that rejecting politicians who shut out citizens would serve as a lesson to other public office holders and political candidates.