THE UNDENIABLE ALLURE OF THE BEAUTIFUL GBEMI SARAKI Toyin Adepoju

Gentlemen and ladies, please help me. I cannot help myself.

I like to see myself as an unalloyed critic of the Sarakis, Olusola Saraki, his daughter Gbemi

Saraki and his son Bukola Saraki, for their practically feudal domination of Kwara State

politics in which the Saraki patriach dictated who would be governor in Kwara State, on one

occasion describing himself as going on pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia to pray for guidance as to

whom to approve as/make governor of Kwara State.

His son became governor in the previous electoral round while his daughter was elected to

Senate. There followed a spirited drive to make the daughter governor while his son takes up

her vacated Senate seat.

People like me wonder why one family should rotate central electoral positions of the state

among themselves, why one man and one family should play an almost dictatorial role in a

democratic polity.

I then saw a picture of Gbemi Saraki and my general criticism of this family began to modify

itself. I began to imagine myself speaking to this woman and asking her out to dinner. I'm

pleased I dont have to make any decisions in relation to her political future.

If I had to, I wonder if my critical stance could be sustained. Would my intellect be true to

itself? Would it be able to look beyond this beauty and examine her level of genuine

democratic culture? Would I dismiss all that as inconsequential in the face of those rounded

cheeks, those full lips, the space that announces itself proudly to the world as it rises from

her chest?

Image credits

Image 1 from “Why Gbemi Saraki May Become Nigeria’s First Female Governor” by Adeyemi Mathew at Brand Icon Image at

http://brandiconimage.blogspot.com/2010/11/why-gbemi-saraki-may-become-nigeria.html. Accessed 28/04/11.

Image 2 from “About Gbemi Vanguard” at http://grsvolunteersupportgroup.org/index-

1.html. Accessed 28/04/11

Image 3 from Gbemi Saraki’s Photostream at Flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/gbemisaraki/4939412524/in/photostream. Accessed

28/04/11.

Image 4 from “Democracy in Nigeria: How Have the Women Fared?” Saturday Tribune at

http://www.tribune.com.ng/sat/index.php/women-affairs/1158-democracy-in-nigeria-how-

have-the-women-fared.html. Accessed 28/04/11.

Image 5 from “Gbemi Saraki Alleges Plot to Circulate her Nude Posters” By Ayo Okulaja News Kwara on Friday, 18 February 2011 on Facebook. Accessed 28/04/11.

Image 6 from 2011: “Senator Saraki’s Guber Ambition Divides Kwara PDP by Demola

Akinyemi Vanguard, October 26, 2010 at http://www.vanguardngr.com/2010/10/2011-

senator-sarakis-guber-ambition-divides-kwara-pdp/. Accessed 28/04/11.

Image 7- From “Dr. Bukola Saraki Urges Youths To Participate In Politics” from Nairaland

at http://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-455052.0.html. Accessed 28/04/11.