Odita Sunday 
Nigeria Must Not Be Allowed to Descend into Political Tyranny and Civil Strife
By Dr. Chris Okobah | Award-Winning Author
Nigeria’s political landscape is becoming increasingly deplorable, frightening and dangerously dystopian. What should be a democratic contest of ideas, policies and visions for national development is gradually becoming a battlefield of intimidation, harassment and political violence.
When attending an ordinary political rally becomes a possible invitation to death, democracy is already in serious trouble.
What is particularly disturbing is the growing concern of security operatives, whose constitutional and professional responsibilities include protecting every Nigerian irrespective of political affiliation, are increasingly being perceived as instruments of partisan interests.
The police, the Department of State Services and other security agencies belong to the Federal Republic of Nigeria, not to the political party occupying the presidency. Their loyalty must be to the Constitution, not to any politician.
Where security personnel protect supporters of the ruling party while opposition supporters face intimidation, violence or arbitrary arrest, the very foundation of democracy is endangered.
This is egregious. It is opprobrious. It is an affront to the democratic principles upon which our republic stands.
Since when did expressing a political opinion become a crime? Since when did attending an opposition rally become an invitation to violence? Since when did political disagreement become sufficient justification for arrest, harassment or intimidation?
Allegations that opposition parties are prevented from erecting billboards, organising rallies and campaigning freely is serious and dangerous , and this demands the attention of international observers . Reports of political intimidation and violence must never be dismissed simply because the victims belong to a different political party.
My greatest fear is not merely that Nigeria’s democracy is being weakened. My fear is that continued political repression, if left unchecked, could push our country towards a dangerous confrontation that nobody may be able to control.
We must never take peace for granted.
Those who romanticise political violence should study the devastating consequences of civil wars. War does not distinguish between APC, PDP, ADC or any other political affiliation. Bullets do not recognise ethnicity, religion or political loyalty.
When a nation descends into civil strife, children become orphans, women become widows, families are displaced, businesses collapse, and infrastructure painstakingly constructed over decades is reduced to rubble, even the politicians will lose their power and some their lives or their children’s.
Nigeria has already suffered enough from insecurity, corruption, poverty, unemployment and institutional decay. Must we now add politically motivated bloodshed to our catalogue of national tragedies?
Power is temporary. Human life is irreplaceable.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration has introduced reforms it believes are progressive. Those reforms should constitute the foundation of the ruling party’s campaign. Let the government present its achievements, defend its policies and explain why Nigerians should continue to support its leadership.
But the ultimate judgment must belong to the Nigerian people.
If Nigerians accept those reforms, they are constitutionally entitled to renew the government’s mandate. If they reject them, they are equally entitled to choose a different political direction.
That is democracy.
A government cannot legitimately demand the people’s consent while denying them the freedom to withhold it.
And here lies a fundamental question that should disturb every Nigerian:
What is the moral difference between soldiers who seize political power through the barrel of a gun and civilian politicians who use the same methods to achieve political powers .
You can’t justify a democracy when it was achieved through intimidation, suppression and democratic competition to retain power.
Their uniforms may be different. Their methods of exercising power may differ. But where coercion replaces consent, the fundamental principle of democratic government is violated.
Democracy is not merely the absence of military uniforms in government. It is the presence of liberty, accountability, institutional independence and the freedom of citizens to determine who governs them.
I am equally concerned about the weakening of institutional independence. The legislature must never become a rubber stamp of the executive. The judiciary must never become an instrument for protecting political interests. Security institutions must never become weapons against political opponents.
When institutions established to restrain power become instruments for protecting power, democracy loses its safeguards.
Nigeria cannot afford that tragedy.
The international community, particularly the African Union, ECOWAS, the United Nations and international human rights organisations, should pay close attention to credible reports of politically motivated violence and repression in Nigeria, and encourage accountability through peaceful and lawful diplomatic means.
However, the ultimate responsibility for protecting our democracy rests with Nigerians and our institutions.
Political leaders must condemn violence even when it benefits their own parties. Security commanders must ensure impartial protection. The judiciary must defend constitutional liberties. Electoral institutions must guarantee genuine competition.
Most importantly, Nigerians must refuse to surrender their constitutional rights to fear.
We must peacefully and lawfully demand credible elections, freedom of expression, freedom of association, political tolerance and equal protection under the law.
We must reject political violence whether it is perpetrated by the ruling party or the opposition.
No politician’s ambition is worth the blood of an innocent Nigerian. No political party is greater than Nigeria. No presidency is worth destroying the peace of an entire nation.
History has repeatedly demonstrated that when political leaders close the doors to peaceful democratic competition, they risk creating conditions for instability.
We must not permit Nigeria to travel that dangerous road.
Our children deserve a country where political disagreement does not lead to death, where citizens can attend political rallies without fear, where justice is not determined by party membership, and where the ballot—not the bullet—determines who governs.
Nigeria belongs to over 200 million people, not to a political party, a president, a governor or a privileged political class.
We want elections, not executions. We want political competition, not political persecution. We want democracy, not dictatorship disguised in civilian clothing.
Let us remember that the power of every government comes from the people, and the people must always retain the freedom to withdraw that power through peaceful, constitutional and credible elections.
Nigeria has suffered enough.
We do not need another national tragedy to appreciate the value of peace.
A NEW NIGERIA IS POSSIBLE—BUT ONLY IF WE CHOOSE THE BALLOT OVER THE BULLET, LIBERTY OVER INTIMIDATION, AND OUR COUNTRY OVER POLITICAL AMBITION.
Chris Okobah PhD
Award-Winning Author Lawyer | Human Rights Advocate
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Silence in the face of political intimidation must never become the price of citizenship.
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