Ahead of the 2027 general electiond, stakeholders in Abakaliki have called for tolerance of opposition views and respect for the rights of opposition leaders in the country.
The stakeholders who spoke in separate interviews with our correspondent on Monday in Abakaliki warned against criminalising or stifling opposition.
According to them, in a democracy, political plurality is not only expected but protected.
However, they observed that in Nigeria’s evolving political landscape, that there was a growing concern over perceived hostility toward opposition voices.
Dr Paul Okorie, a leading opposition figure in Ebonyi and the 2019 governorship aspirant on the platform of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) said that the attack against opposition politicians in Nigeria reflected a pattern of indifference and disdain to opposition by the ruling party.
Okorie, a one time commissioner for Works, Hosing and Transportation in Ebonyi said that constructive opposition remained the life-wire in a democracy.
He maintained that muzzling opposition voices through threats and intimidation would hinder democracy and democratic growth.
The politician who said that constructive opposition was the oil that drive democracy noted that any true democrat would be happy to have vibrant opposition.
“Any leader who is a real democrat and who is elected by the people will always want to welcome constructive opposition because that will put him on his toes.
“To know when he is doing wrong because those who are working with him because they will want to protect their selfish interest will not tell him the right thing.
“They will tell him, you are are doing well; 4+4 is equal to 8 where as you are not doing well and it is only opposition that will tell the leader the truth; the heart of the people and how people feel,” Okorie said.
He said that belonging to opposition group should not be seen as crime arguing that the present All Progressives Congress (APC) administration emerged as an opposition party in 2015 to become a ruling party under the late former President Muhammadu Buhari.
“Opposition serves as checks and balances on the ruling party and the government in power,” he added.
Mr Chidi Nwankwo, an Abuja-based constitutional lawyer said that being in opposition was not only legal but essential for democracy to thrive.
“Being in the opposition is not only legal, it is essential for democracy to thrive; any attempt to criminalise opposition is a threat to our constitutional order,” he said.
Mr Philips Arua, a university student in the Ebonyi State University (EBSU), expressed frustration, saying that once you openly support an opposition party, you would be seen as an enemy.
“Once you openly support an opposition party, you’re seen as an enemy; even on campus, student elections mimic the same division and hostility.
” It’s like a taboo to speak against those in power in Nigeria and this is affecting the quality of leadership we have,” Arua said.
Mr Nnanna Okorie, a trader in Abakaliki, recounted his experience in the 2023 elections where he supported Labour Party candidate in the Senatorial election for the Ebonyi North Senatorial District election.
“I supported a Labour party candidate during the last elections since then, I’ve been labeled and targeted.
“It is like being in opposition means you do not deserve government benefits anymore.”
A political analysts, Dr Mike Igwe, warned that stifling opposition voices could lead to authoritarianism.
“Democracy dies not in a day, but in silence; once the opposition is gagged, the road to tyranny is paved.
“As Nigeria prepares for 2027 elections, the right to belong to any political party must remain sacrosanct; being in the opposition is not a crime, it is a constitutional right,” Igwe said.
However, Prof. Eugene Nweke, former Deputy-Chancellor (Academic), Ebonyi State University (EBSU), Abakaliki said that in politics, people device strategies on how to win and secure their votes and hence deploy means that would help them achieve their desires.
But, he maintained that the use of intimidation and threat to outwit or muzzle out opposition elements were not in line with democratic principles in all angles.
“There should be respect for the fundamental rights of individuals in a democracy and opposition should be allowed to thrive,” Nweke said.
Another respondent, Mrs Maureen Elom, a civil servant argued that while opposition was vital, many so-called opposition members engaged in deliberate misinformation and incitement.
“By engaging in deliberate misinformation and incitement, these opposition members bring trouble upon themselves.”
Our correspondent reports that despite differing opinions, the stakeholders said that there was a need for greater tolerance, protection of dissent and strengthening of democratic institutions.
