Former presidential aide, Laolu Akande, has taken a swipe against a social critic, Aisha Yesufu, telling her to engage in serious discourse on social media instead of turning the social space into a platform for abusing people.
Akande was reacting on Saturday afternoon, to a post by Yesufu on her verified X account, formerly Twitter, where she rebuked former President Goodluck Jonathan over a statement attributed to him, saying, “elections are over, we must move forward,” when he visited President Bola Tinubu in Aso Rock on Friday.
Yesufu, a staunch follower of the Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, who condemned Jonathan for his statement, quoted the publication that reported him with her X account and tweeted: “Jonathan still sees himself as that child without shoes. Perfect example of law of the lid playing out.”
But reacting via his X account, Akande, who also quoted Yesufu, telling her that “speaking truth to power” is “a key for a healthy democracy,” but “insults only weaken our critical messages.”
Akande tweeted: “Dear @AishaYesufu speaking truth to power is key for healthy democracy. Having been on both sides, I know accountability is vital, but insults only weaken our critical messages. Let’s engage in serious discourse that fosters change because there are more serious issues to sort”.
This tweet by the former presidential aide has attracted other X users’ attention, who supported Akande in his subtle approach to bringing normalcy into public discussion, especially as he called for the need to address issues and not attack personalities.