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The Igbo Leaders of Thought (ILT), a prominent assembly of Southeastern Nigerian intellectuals, traditional rulers and stakeholders, has condemned the systematic suppression of the opposition ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The assembly warned that the clampdown on the opposition, if not urgently curbed, could derail the plans for the coming general elections and seriously diminish the integrity of the outcome of the polls.
The group spoke amid the recent alarm raised by the presidential candidate of Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, over his safety and systematic frustration of his businesses, as well as judicial pronouncements against the key opposition parties, targeted at destabilising their preparations for the polls.
In a statement on Saturday, ILT recalled that in July last year, the Governor of Edo State, Monday Okpebholo, threatened Peter Obi against entering his state and when he visited Edo State early this year, gunshots were fired at him and others in his entourage.
The assembly warned that the emasculation of the opposition could wreck Nigeria’s hard-fought democracy and cause serious political instability in the country.
They also frowned at the use of state institutions, including the judiciary, security agencies and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to incapacitate the opposition parties and make them unable to compete with the ruling party during the 2027 general elections.
Part of the statement said: “The democracy that we are enjoying in Nigeria did not come on a platter. It is a product of a long-drawn political struggle against military rule. Ironically, those in power in Nigeria today, who do not want the opposition to breathe, pride themselves as key players in the struggle for the restoration of democracy in Nigeria. The same people who claim to be champions of democracy are now emasculating the opposition.
“Hence, the Igbo Leaders of Thought condemns the ongoing suppression of the opposition in Nigeria. If not curbed, it could derail plans for the 2027 general election, cause serious political instability and derail our hard-won democracy. Nigeria cannot afford another major political crisis arising from the election. The country suffered dearly because of the mistakes of past elections.
“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it. This profound warning was originally issued by the Spanish-American philosopher, George Santayana in his 1905 work, ‘The Life of Reason.’ After Nigeria’s Independence in 1960, the violent political protest (Operation Wetie) that took place in 1962 in Western Nigeria, triggered a chain of events, including bloodletting and burning of properties, which eventually led to the first military coup in Nigeria on January 15, 1966. That was not all.
“In the Second Republic, a disputed governorship election triggered a devastating political upheaval in Ondo State, resulting in widespread burning of properties and loss of several lives, ultimately paving the way for another military intervention in 1983.
“If we cannot remember what happened in the First and Second Republics, we should be able to remember the political violence that trailed the 2011 presidential election, which according to Human Rights Watch, claimed over 800 lives in Northern Nigeria, including innocent youth corps members. We are not in any way trying to engage in scare-mongering, but just appealing to those in authority in Nigeria to do what is right.
“Constitutionally, Nigeria is a multi-party democracy. In a multi-party democracy, the opposition is indispensable. Any democracy without a vibrant opposition is a camouflaged dictatorship. Nigerians cannot condone this much longer.”
The group stated that the absence of a strong opposition party presupposes that the ruling party has successfully conquered, crushed and neutralised divergent voices, hence turning the country into a de-facto one party state.
They cited contemporary examples of one-party state, including North Korea, China, Cuba and Vietnam and historical examples, such as Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy and Cuba, among others.
The assembly decried the return of the era of government incessantly using state security operatives to arrest opposition figures and keep them in prison and other detention, often denying them the right to fair hearing, like in the days of the military.
“Like in the cases of Nasiru el-Rufai and Omoyele Sowore, we have witnessed wives, other relatives, comrades and associates of these opposition figures/political prisoners, and even their doctors being equally subjected to harassment and intimidation and in some cases, arrest by the same security operatives under unjustifiable circumstances,” ILT stated.
Urging Nigerians to quickly rise in defence of democracy, the assembly maintained that a one-party state encourages limited or no competition in the political space, restriction of rights and freedom, suppression of dissenting voices and weaponisation of state institutions, such as the military, the police and even the economy, by the ruling party apparatus against the people.
They enjoined all Nigerians to work concertedly to see that the country joins the league of the best democracies in the world like the United States of America and western European countries, rather than degenerate to a dictatorship, less than 30 years after the restoration of democratic rule in the country.
Regarding the use of the judiciary against the opposition parties, ILT expressed concern about what it termed reckless judicial pronouncements, which appear to be deliberately targeted at destabilising the opposition.
“It is expected that courts should uphold the rule of law, but it seems they are encouraging anarchy. The judgment of the Federal High Court, Lokoja, in the case of the NDC comes to mind. How can a court set aside its own order, asking the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) not to recognise the NDC as a political party, because a political association, which is not a registered political party, is contesting that NDC is using its logo?
“The timing of the latest ruling of the Federal High Court, Lokoja, coming at a time when political parties have concluded primary elections to nominate candidates for the 2027 general, looks very suspicious. Section 40 of the Constitution guarantees every citizen the fundamental human rights to assemble freely and associate with others, which includes the right to form or belong to a political party. According to Section 221, no association can canvass for votes or field candidates for election, unless it is registered as a political party.
“Section 222 and 223 outline the rules for forming a political party and dictate that a party’s constitution must have a democratic national outlook. Section 225A grants INEC the power to regulate and deregister political parties that fail to meet specific electoral compliance benchmarks. Because of these sections, Nigeria is constitutionally mandated to be a multi-party democracy, preventing it from being a one-party or even two-party state. Unfortunately, court pronouncements are threatening the pluralism of Nigerian democracy. The judiciary is pushing the country in the direction of a one-party state.”
The group commended the NDC for going to the Court of Appeal to challenge the judgment of the Federal High Court, Lokoja, urging other opposition political parties affected by court rulings, to toe the same path.
They called on the international community, especially the United States of America and the European Union to monitor closely the processes leading to next year’s general elections and the election itself to ensure that the outcome reflects the wishes of the Nigerian people and not the desire of a single individual, group of individuals or political party.
