BY
OGACHEKO OPALUWA
As Nigeria braces for yet another cycle of general elections, tension and apprehension is building up gradually in the air among politicians and their followers. While the ruling party is busy strategizing on how to consolidate power, the motley crowd of opposition political parties is running from pillar to post contriving ways to unseat the ruling party. These streams of political activities are normal in any democratic setting except that in Nigeria, there is a looming danger of pervasive violence and anarchy arising from the utterances and actions of certain political gladiators in both camps. The brash and offensive if not criminal optics and acoustics emanating from opposing political camps across the country are ominous.
The most visible and audible tell-tale signs of things to come incidentally are emanating mostly from the camps of ruling APC politicians across Nigeria. Take Kogi State that has become the poster page of election violence and rigging in Nigeria for example. On a quiet Saturday afternoon on 12th September, 2026, an APC Senatorial candidate in company of the Deputy Governor of Kogi State embarked on a campaign road show with their supporters, among whom were uniformed security operatives and well armed political thugs as well as hired rabble rousers. Both the uniformed personnel and thugs kept shooting sporadically into the air and bushes enroute their various campaign spots even in the absence of any visible sign of opposition or threat. The aim simply was to create panic and frighten opposition politicians with their supporters from campaigning anywhere in Eastern Senatorial District of the State. This has been stated clearly and repeatedly by the Kogi State Deputy Governor and his cronies on behalf of their Principal in Lugard House. Some of the thugs proceeded to attack members of ADC the following day 13th September, 2026 at the venue of the party’s EXCO meeting that was holding at Ejule in Ofu Local Government Area of Kogi State, destroying some properties and fatally wounding some ADC members, including the Local Government Area Chairman of the opposition party in the process. The incident was reported to security operatives but as usual, no arrests were made because the thugs claimed to have acted on behalf of Kogi State Government and the ruling APC.
Similarly, a procession of party loyalists on campaign tour in Koton-Karfe town in Kogi Local Government Area of Kogi State was attacked on 4th October, 2026 by thugs allegedly linked to Kogi State APC and specifically from the camp of the State Commissioner for Solid Minerals Development. The vehicles of ADC members were damaged and vandalized in the process while many persons sustained varying degrees of injuries. The Police with other security agencies in Kogi State have kept mum on the matter up until the time of this piece simply because the actions were conducted on behalf of the APC.
The current orgy of violence by APC bloodhounds is not limited to Kogi State alone as the nation has witnessed similar attacks and wanton disturbance of public peace in Delta, Kaduna, Edo and Zamfara States in recent times. Trending viral videos on the internet have shown the Chairman of APC in Edo State threatening anyone, particularly supporters of opposition parties in the State, that prevented APC in Edo State from delivering 2.5 million votes to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu during 2027 general elections with death by AK-47. Both the Edo State Government and the Nigeria Police Force ignored the threat and neither cautioned nor prosecute the villain APC Chairman of Edo State for the reckless statement.
In the same vain, a man identified as an ADC candidate went viral on the internet a few days ago brandishing a semi-automatic weapon during a campaign rally. Perhaps, he may be cooling his heels behind a Police Station Counter by now for his audacity to imitate his ilks in the ruling APC. Who knows?
Lest I forget, the orgy of political violence and wanton killings that characterized the recently concluded gubernatorial election in Osun State has also gone unaddressed. Grieving families and communities have been abandoned to bear the pain of lost ones. Those on the side of the winning team may have been given some miserable quantities of rice, maggi and salt with some miserly amounts of money as palliatives and to buy their silence. The people on the loosing side have been thrown into perpetual or unassuaged mourning and anguish.
Whatever way one views the orgy of political violence and the threat of it, especially from APC camp, they portend mortal and inimitable danger to our rallying democracy and collapsing statehood. It does not leave us with any salvage or mitigating options other than total anarchy akin to the political events of 1964 that left an indelible scar on our polity till date.
This is why those that are close to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and whose advices perhaps he heeds in whatever way should request him to first rein in his APC thugs before cautioning others against employing violence to achieve undeserved victory in the forthcoming general elections. Mr President must also charge security agencies that have become appendages of APC to act professionally and decisively against whosoever contemplates or employs violence in the forthcoming general elections in order to prevent the process from snowballing into anarchy in our country. Nigeria is currently grappling with insurgency, terrorism, kidnapping, ritual killings, armed robbery and other forms of violent crime that are ravaging virtually the entire country. It risks total anarchy if political violence is allowed to have roots in the forthcoming elections. Furthermore, there are too many weapons in the hands of criminals and youths in Nigeria currently on a level that could stretch the capacity of security agencies beyond effective limits in the event of anarchy in this country. Therefore, the consequences of allowing political violence to complement existing security challenges in the country are too dire and grim to imagine.
This is why our President must address political violence now before it becomes too late. A stitch in time, they say, saves nine. His silence over the issue coupled with the patent culpability of most of the serving Governors in Nigeria are unofficial nods that give impetus and audacity to perpetrators of political violence or threat of it in the country. Again, one will not be wrong to assume that they may be acting on the impulse of Mr President’s recent statement to the effect that he won’t sit by idly and watch the opposition remove him from office. According to reports, he was quoted as saying that he will rather drag everyone involved in the attempt into the mud. Such seemingly light mood acoustics may not be harmless after all with our idle and easily impressionable youths. Needless, to reiterate at this point that history will not forgive our President if he allows political violence to consume our faltering democracy and failing sovereignty under his watch.
This is why the teeming crowd of enthusiastic Nigerian patriots should urge President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to summon courage and be on the positive side of history on this vexatious issue. Condemning and stopping political violence will portray him in more positive light than the option of violence and intimidation that are being touted by some members of his party and reactionary opposition. Let’s hope that wisdom will prevail on this occasion as Nigeria may not survive another anarchy.
OGACHEKO OPALUWA IS A PUBLIC POLICY ANALYST AND SOCIAL CRITIC
