Abakaliki: Some stakeholders in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, have called for respect and tolerance of opposition in the country, saying that stifling it would hinder democratic Progress.
The stakeholders who spoke in separate interviews on Monday in Abakaliki warned against criminalising or stifling opposition.
According to them, in a democracy, political plurality is not only expected but protected, adding that opposition was needed to keep leaders in check.
They warned of growing concern over perceived hostility toward opposition voices.
Dr Paul Okorie, the 2019 governorship aspirant on the platform of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), stated that the attack against opposition politicians in Nigeria reflected a pattern of indifference and disdain for the opposition by the ruling party.
Okorie, a one-time commissioner for Works, Housing and Transportation in Ebonyi, said that constructive opposition remained the lifeblood in a democracy.
He maintained that muzzling opposition voices through threats and intimidation would hinder democracy and democratic growth.
The politician, a leading opposition figure in Ebonyi, said that constructive opposition was the oil that drove democracy.
“Any leader who is a real democrat and who is elected by the people will always welcome constructive opposition because that will put him on his toes.
“Opposition makes him know when he is doing wrong because those who are working with him will want to protect their selfish interest by not telling him the truth.
“They will tell him, you are doing well; ‘4+4 is equal to 8; whereas 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 stated that belonging to an opposition group should not be viewed as a crime, arguing that the current 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, democracy needs to thrive; any attempt to criminalise opposition is a threat to our constitutional order,” he said.
Mr Philips Arua, a university student at Ebonyi State University (EBSU), expressed frustration, saying that once you openly support an opposition party, you are 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 a Labour Party candidate in the Senatorial election for the Ebonyi North Senatorial District.
“I supported a Labour party candidate during the last elections. Since then, I’ve been labelled and targeted.
“It is like being in opposition means you do not deserve government benefits anymore.”
A political analyst, Dr Mike Igwe, warned that stifling opposition voices could lead to authoritarianism.
“Democracy does not die 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, stated that in politics, people devise strategies to win and secure their votes, and hence deploy means that help them achieve their desires.
However, he maintained that the use of intimidation and threats to outwit or muzzle opposition elements was not in line with democratic principles in all respects.
“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.”
Despite differing opinions, stakeholders agreed that there was a need for greater tolerance, protection of dissent, and strengthening of democratic institutions.