The recent violent disruption of political gatherings in states brings to mind another tumultuous period of political violence as the 2027 electoral climate gathers momentum. Although ours is a country not unfamiliar with the brutish and nasty politicking since the start of the Fourth Republic, sponsoring or indulging miscreants to disrupt basic political gatherings of an opposition party is a new low and stands condemned by all. Besides the security agencies holding politicians and their cronies accountable, the Nigeria police must demonstrate that they still possess the capacity for an above-board spirit ahead of the 2027 elections.
In a bizarre manner of novel brigandage, organised miscreants, suspected to be political thugs, recently invaded a gathering of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) Lagos State chapter. The meeting, hosted by a former Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, in Alimosho Local Council of the state, aimed to sensitise the public on the importance of political participation and to receive the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 general elections, Peter Obi, and the party’s 2023 governorship flagbearer in Lagos State, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour. It was gathered that shortly after the kick-off of the programme, miscreants stormed the venue and wreaked havoc, inflicting varying degrees of injuries on the participants.
The violent disruption followed a pattern that is trending, with multiple cases of political violence now reported across different states, like Kaduna, Katsina, Kogi, Kebbi, as well as the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). In most of these states, the ADC-led opposition coalition has accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of orchestrating attacks on its members and activities. The APC, however, has repeatedly dismissed the allegations as baseless. In Katsina, the state government was accused of masterminding violence against a group of respected elders who had gathered to deliberate on possible solutions to the escalating insecurity plaguing the state. Eyewitnesses claimed the meeting was violently disrupted, but state officials denied any involvement, insisting the accusations were politically motivated and intended to smear the government’s image.
In Kaduna, the police reportedly invited former governor Nasir el-Rufai and other ADC leaders over an alleged criminal conspiracy. The summons followed disturbances at an ADC gathering, which the party said was attacked by thugs linked to the ruling party. The ADC condemned the police move, accusing security agencies of being used as tools to intimidate and silence opposition figures, even while violent actors roam freely. In Kebbi, former Attorney General of the Federation and ADC chieftain Abubakar Malami (SAN) was attacked in Birnin Kebbi. His convoy was reportedly ambushed in the GRA area of the state capital, leaving several of his supporters injured. Despite the attack happening in daylight, near a police outpost, no arrests have been made. Similarly, in Kogi, the ADC secretariat in one of the local government areas was vandalised by suspected political thugs.
In the Lagos episode, the ADC condemned the attack on its members, blaming it on the ruling party’s intolerance. In a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdhllahi, the party said: “The African Democratic Congress is outraged by the attack that occurred at an ADC gathering in Alimosho, where its leaders and members had gathered for a peaceful meeting. “The ADC particularly condemns the invasion of the church premises where the meeting was meant to be held. This attack on the church premises is a profound act of desecration by a jittery ruling party that would stop at nothing to silence opposition voices in the country.” The Lagos APC’s defence ignored the allegation of sponsoring miscreants, showing off its strength against that of the complaining opposition.
For context, the chief host of the Lagos ADC meeting, Aregbesola, is a household name and a prominent politician with a large fan base in parts of the state. Before they parted ways, Aregbesola was a major stakeholder in President Bola Tinubu’s political cycle, serving as a two-term commissioner while Mr. Tinubu was the governor of Lagos. The point is that Aregbesola held forth in the Alimosho political equation. It therefore calls into question how miscreants could have been so disenchanted and organised to unsettle a political household name in his enclave. Has anything changed? Even if so, must it result in violence?
The Nigeria Police statutorily have the duty of securing lives, properties, and the constitutional freedom of association, among others. What was their intelligence report of the disorderly conduct in Lagos and other states? Where are those arrested for disrupting a civil gathering that is backed by the Constitution? Beyond the various allegations, where is the police’s concrete evidence and the attendant prosecution of those suspected of actions in breach of the law and order? Since the last general election, Lagos has shown a deeper depreciation in political tolerance, particularly towards those in the opposition. When would the police rein in the mastermind of political violence and their accomplices? How many people must die in political meetings, rallies, and assassinations before the police say enough is enough to brigandage? The more the police turn a blind eye and are perceived as taking sides in a conflict, the greater the tendency for the opponents to resort to self-help, which sends bad signals as 2027 approaches.
The country’s democracy cannot thrive where citizens are routinely brutalised, opposition voices are seemingly silenced, and laws are flagrantly disrespected or skewed to favour a set of politicians against others. Nigerian citizens must stand tall against kleptocrats, thugs, and warmongers. Yet, it is tragic that the 21st-century Nigerian State still has citizens simple enough for recruitment into political brigandage on behalf of the same political class that failed to provide decent means of livelihood. This clear systemic failure should shock the national conscience, but potent enough to quicken the security agencies to take action, imposing hefty sanctions on those found culpable to serve as a deterrent ahead of the next election cycle.
The politics of bitterness and brigandage are typical of parties without an ideology and poor performance that elicit public distrust. Characteristically, the vibrancy of a democracy is tested by the quality of ideas and developmental strategies that political parties bring to the fore or counter.
The public and party followers alike should also demand a war of ideas and issue-based campaigns, not insults and incitement of violence. Truly, a party or politician that cannot tolerate dissenting opinions can rarely be trusted to deliver people-oriented governance.
