Odita Sunday 
ENUGU’S DAY OF SHAME: MUST NIGERIANS NOW RISK THEIR LIVES TO PARTICIPATE IN DEMOCRACY?
When Political Ambition Becomes More Important Than Human Life, Democracy Is Already in Danger
By Dr. Christopher Onyemaechi Okobah, PhD — Award-Winning Author
What happened in Enugu State is an opprobrium. It is egregious, horrifying and deeply shameful. It should trouble the conscience of every Nigerian who believes that human life is sacred and that democracy must never become a licence for political violence.
The reported attacks on supporters of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) during their political activities on October 10, 2026, which claimed the life of a supporter, raise frightening questions about the direction of our democracy.
How did we arrive at a point where attending a political gathering could expose citizens to gunfire, physical assault and destruction of their property?
Must Nigerians now carry weapons to political campaigns simply because the institutions entrusted with their protection cannot guarantee their safety?
Is this the country we intend to hand over to our children?
Whether you belong to the APC, PDP, ADC, NDC or any other political party, one truth must remain sacred: YOU ARE A NIGERIAN FIRST.
Your political affiliation does not diminish your humanity. Your constitutional rights do not disappear because you disagree with a governor, president or ruling political party.
Section 33 of the Nigerian Constitution guarantees the right to life. Sections 39, 40 and 41 protect freedom of expression, peaceful assembly, association and movement.
These rights are not gifts from governors. They are not privileges reserved for supporters of the ruling party. They belong to every Nigerian.
I am a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), but I will never support an APC member attacking an NDC supporter, an ADC member killing an APC supporter, or a PDP member being assaulted because of political disagreement.
No political party is worth the blood of a Nigerian citizen. No governorship election is worth a human life. No presidential ambition is worth turning our country into a battlefield.
Particularly disturbing are reports that a man was shot dead and he is a supporter of NDC .
Think about that.
A man trying to exercise his freedom of expression, his daily bread suddenly becomes a victim of political violence.
He was not seeking political office. He was simply going about his constitutional duties .
Must the ordinary Nigerian now pay for the ambitions of politicians with his blood?
Reports that a uniformed security officer stood nearby while political supporters were assaulted are equally troubling. Allegations of security complicity must be independently investigated, with every person found culpable held accountable.
Our security agencies must never become instruments of political intimidation.
Their duty is to defend the Constitution and protect Nigerians, not to determine which political party deserves protection.
When those entrusted with protecting citizens abandon that responsibility, public confidence in democracy begins to collapse.
And when people lose confidence in the institutions established to protect them, they may begin to believe that their survival depends on defending themselves.
That is a dangerous road no responsible government should allow Nigeria to travel.
We must not permit political violence to become the justification for further violence. The answer must be lawful protection, credible investigations and justice—not armed political confrontation.
I am particularly concerned about the approaching 2027 elections.
If Nigerians cannot peacefully attend political gatherings today, what will happen when campaigns intensify across the country?
Are we preparing for democratic elections or a national tragedy?
The international community, including the African Union, ECOWAS, the United Nations and international human-rights organisations, must pay attention to these warning signs.
Nigeria’s stability matters beyond our borders.
If politically motivated violence becomes widespread, the consequences could include displacement, humanitarian emergencies and instability across West Africa.
The world should not wait for a catastrophe before demanding accountability, supporting credible electoral observation and insisting upon the protection of fundamental human rights.
Let me also address our political leaders.
Any governor, political officeholder or party leader who sponsors, finances, encourages or knowingly facilitates violence against citizens must face justice when credible evidence establishes responsibility.
Section 308 of the Constitution provides certain serving executive officeholders with temporary immunity from legal proceedings. It does not grant permanent immunity from accountability for alleged crimes.
No governor should imagine that political office confers ownership over the lives of citizens.
A governor’s life is not worth more than that of a taxi driver.
A president’s life is not worth more than that of a plumber.
A senator’s life is not worth more than that of a labourer.
The life of a market woman struggling to feed her children is just as precious as the life of the most powerful politician in Nigeria.
Power does not make one Nigerian more human than another. Poverty does not make another Nigerian less deserving of life.
How can anyone destroy another person’s business, injure innocent citizens, terrorise families or take human lives merely to acquire or retain political power?
What manner of leadership seeks public office by making the public afraid?
What sort of democracy requires citizens to surrender their freedom before politicians will guarantee their safety?
Nigeria belongs to all Nigerians.
Our democracy must provide the freedom to campaign, disagree, criticise, associate and vote without fear of intimidation or violence.
I therefore call for an independent and transparent investigation into the Enugu attacks, prosecution of every person proven responsible, protection for victims and witnesses, and impartial security arrangements for all political parties.
Above all, Nigerians must understand that the ballot is an instrument of peaceful democratic accountability.
We must use our constitutional rights responsibly, reject electoral violence and demand institutions that protect every citizen regardless of political allegiance.
A nation where citizens fear their leaders more than criminals is a nation facing a profound crisis of governance.
Nigeria must never become such a nation.
We have buried too many innocent people. We have watched too many families suffer. We have tolerated too much political intimidation and too little accountability.
Enough of the bloodshed.
Enough of the threats.
Enough of political impunity.
Enough of treating ordinary Nigerians as expendable instruments of personal ambition.
NOBODY SHOULD HAVE TO DIE FOR SUPPORTING A POLITICAL PARTY.
A Nigerian should be able to leave home wearing an APC shirt, an ADC cap, an NDC badge or a PDP uniform and return safely to embrace his wife, his children and his family.
That is not asking too much.
That is the minimum promise of a democratic society.
We need a Nigeria where political disagreement does not become a death sentence, where security personnel protect citizens rather than political interests, and where no public official is beyond the reach of justice.
Because long after the elections have ended, long after governors have left office and long after political parties have changed their names, the families of those killed or injured will still be living with the consequences.
Let us never forget that.
Political power is temporary. Human life is irreplaceable.
Nigeria must choose peace, constitutional freedom, equal justice and the sanctity of human life.
ENOUGH IS ENOUGH.
Dr. Chris Okobah, PhD
Award-Winning Author
PLEASE SHARE THIS ARTICLE if you believe that Nigeria deserves a future where every citizen can live without fear, participate freely in democracy, and enjoy the protection of the law, irrespective of political affiliation.
A BETTER NIGERIA IS POSSIBLE—BUT ONLY WHEN EVERY NIGERIAN LIFE MATTERS.
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