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THE DSS AND THE UNCONSTITUTIONAL CALL TO RESTRAIN PROF. PAT UTOMI: PLEASE OPEN THE JAILS INSTEAD

Prof. Chris Mistapha Nwaokobia Jnr / 1 week
0
10 min read

Enough of Propaganda, The Time To Place Performance Above Politics And Politricks Is Now. Where those who pretend to be Democrats and Progressives have progressively chosen to stifle dissent; where those who pride in ‘so-called’ pro-democracy credentials restrict and narrow down the political space; and where those who in the past stood up against State Capture become paladins of a most omnious attempt to subdue the people, then defiance and proactive steps targeted at taking back our Country for good becomes plausible, and indeed the only option. What is unconstitutional about a ‘Shadow Government’ for which the Government is in Court against Citizen Prof Pat Utomi and Co.? Does the prefix ‘shadow’ not qualify the effort as simply an intervention targeted at proferring possible and plausible alternative policies to the prevalent policy flip flops of the present watch? Why is the Government scared about the thought of a Shadow Government? Why is the DSS concerned? And why is a government that is desperately and consistently decimating the opposition jittery about a Shadow Government? Why with the gale of defections to the Ruling Party are they still mortally jittery? Why? As Prof Pat Utomi returns to the Country to commemorate the June 12 anniversary now a Public Holiday in Nigeria, it is apt to highlight the hypocrisies of the Party in Power. Since 2015 when the APC took over from the PDP, we have had the worst shade of pretenders to democratic ideals in the saddle. They have been perfidious and egocentric; they have become shameless power grabbers comfortable with election rigging and electoral malfeasance; their hypocrisy is Olympic, asking the people to tighten their belts whilst their policies gravitate to waste, wanderlust and profligacy; and they care less about the primary responsibility of government which is the protection of lives and property. So one wonders why the gale of defections to the APC, and why the APC has become so attractive to some Politicians in the other Parties, note that I am reluctant to use the word OPPOSITION PARTIES because the Parties are largely Multipurpose Vehicles for Power, and the defectors to the underperforming and underwhelming Government of the APC are simply lacking in courage, conscience, candour and scruples. I have repeatedly said that I am glad that the Ruling Party is its most vicious antibody, and that the APC is visibly its own greatest enemy, I shall explain this in a bit. The APC is manifestly its most vicious enemy, and the unbridled arrogance of the Ruling Party is going to be her Achilles Heel. The Party is progressively moving from one that repudiates protest and dissent (recall the violent crushing of the EndSars Protests in 2020 and the EndBad Governance Protests in 2024) to a Party that stifles divergent voices, the constant arrests and detention of Journalists, Bloggers and young people for ‘Cyber-bullying’ is rife and has become the fad under the present watch. The APC is increasingly bereft of discipline and clearly vacant in compliance with due process and the Rule of Law. Before Partisan Obscurantists descend in the gutters and mud with unresearched data, falsehoods and diatribes and attempting to defend the indefensible, please chew on the following… 1. They pride themselves in the hasty removal of Petroleum Subsidy saying that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu PBAT took a bold, a daring, a resolute and a patriotic decision by removing fuel subsidy, and such is the bandwagon… However, the truly discerning and patriotic would ask, why remove Subsidy without viable alternatives? Has poverty, penury, disease and despondency not increased as a result of the hastiness of that decision? Most Medium Scale Companies and Small Businesses that depend on fuel as alternative power to run and sustain their businesses have since closed shop as hunger and poverty quadrupled. What makes more sense, pursuing the thieves who profiteered from the Fuel Subsidy Scam and recovering the trillions so stolen, or increasing poverty and hunger in the name of a TOUGH Political decision so-called? 2. The floating of the naira cum devaluation of the currency. Another hasty and unresearched TOUGH decision hailed by Court-jesters and Partisans. Where in the world does a government devalue her currency without first strengthening the levers of production; without first deepening the frontiers of food and job security; and without first cushioning the tracks of inflation? But because the PBAT government is more inclined to propaganda than governance, to falsehoods than performance, and to diatribes and tommyrot than leadership, they are unwilling to interrogate the impact of their policy flip flops on the nation. 3. They pride themselves in raising more revenue, in paying more monthly allocation to the States, in an increase in minimum wage etc, whereas all that paves to insignificance compared with the level inflation. If you disagree, wonder why a Government that boasts of huge increase in revenue on account of the removal of Subsidy, increase in electricity tariffs, and taxation is yet enmeshed in humongous and inexplicable local and foreign debts? They pride themselves in repaying about 3 billion dollars to the IMF and the World Bank, whereas are set to borrow 21.5 billion dollars, who is deceiving who? Who will tell them that the lifespan of falsehood and debauchery is short? 4. They pride themselves in a certain 700 or is it 750 kilometers Lagos/Calabar Coastal Highway, don’t blame me, the distance is as indefinite, confusing and uncertain as everything concerning the project. From the Contractor to the Contract evaluation; from the various figures about the projected cost to the admission of the Minister of Works Engineer Dave Umahi on National TV that they do not know what the actual cost of the project will be; and from the Contractor not emerging through open bidding to the manifestly compromising personal relationship with Mr President, the details are curiouser and curiouser. Folks, what Government in the world embarks on such a legacy project without knowing what the project would cost; and like a people arrogantly anxious to validate the

OPPOSITION DEFECTIONS: AN ALBATROSS FOR NIGERIAN DEMOCRACY

CapitalTimesNews / 2 weeks
0
4 min read

By Augustine Eigbe, Ph.D. Nigeria’s democratic journey since 1999 has been fraught with systemic challenges, including weak institutions, electoral malpractices, and elite manipulation of governance processes. Among the most noxious threats to democratic stability is the unbridled defection of opposition politicians to the ruling party, a phenomenon that weakens political competition, stifles transparency and accountability, and embeds one-party dominance in the country. The defection epidemic, often driven by personal ambition rather than ideological conviction, exemplifies elite capture, where a select few override the democratic will of the majority for selfish gains. If unchallenged, this practice will sabotage the very mainstay of Nigeria’s democracy, necessitating urgent pushback from citizens and civil society. The defections in Nigeria have degenerated from political realignments into a patronage system where elites trade party loyalty for state resources, legal protection, and political career longevity. The absorption of opposition figures by the All Progressives Congress ( APC) is not pluralism but the methodical gutting of democratic accountability. A vibrant democracy thrives on robust opposition that holds the government accountable. However, when opposition members routinely defect to the ruling party, it diminishes alternative policy perspectives and consolidates power in the hands of a single bloc and subverts democratic norms. The ongoing exodus of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP),Labour Party (LP), and New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) members, including governors and legislators to the APC is crippling opposition capacity. This threatens to worsen Nigeria’s democratic deficit, potentially leaving the already biddable legislature unable to restrain executive overreach. These defections betray the trust of the electorate. When politicians elected on an opposition platform switch allegiance without justification, they invalidate the votes and preferences of their constituents. This weakens representative democracy, as the people’s mandate is hijacked by elite interests. Nigeria’s constitutional provisions (Section 68(1)(g) of the 1999 Constitution) on defections are often ignored, with courts reluctant to enforce sanctions, further emboldening political mercenaries. The gale of defections reinforces a political culture that reduces governance to a transactional enterprise. Politicians prioritise patronage over public service, perpetuating a system where loyalty to individuals and not party ideologies or national development dictates political behaviour. This elite capture distorts policy priorities, diverting attention from critical national issues like rising cost of living, poverty, hunger, insecurity, infrastructural decay, and electoral reforms. Therefore, to salvage Nigeria’s democracy, citizens and civil society organisations (CSOs) must intensify advocacy against defections and elite impunity. CSOs should pursue sustained legal challenges enforcing constitutional provisions on defections, particularly through public interest litigation compelling courts, to vacate seats of politicians who defect without just cause, as constitutionally mandated. The majority of the citizens must relentlessly demand transparency and accountability from elected officials. Grassroots campaigns should educate voters on how political defections harm democracy and mobilise them to reject defectors in future elections. The mainstream and new media must amplify these concerns to reshape public discourse. Without ideological roots, opposition parties are merely defections waiting to happen. To survive, they must unite behind clear governance alternatives or watch Nigeria’s democracy degenerate into a marketplace for elite transactions. The defection of opposition figures in the country is not merely a political manoeuvre but a direct assault on democratic values. It ingrains elite dominance, degrades accountability in governance, and deprives the electorate from benefiting from the dividends of democracy. This trend perpetuates democratic deterioration, institutionalising a hollowed-out political system that benefits only a privileged minority. Such systemic exclusion requires citizens and civil society to mobilise all available legal, judicial, and advocacy mechanisms to dismantle elite dominance and restore inclusive democracy. Augustine Eigbe Ph.D. is a Historian and Development Communication Expert.Email: augustineeigbe20022002@gmail.com

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THE DSS AND THE UNCONSTITUTIONAL CALL TO RESTRAIN PROF. PAT UTOMI: PLEASE OPEN THE JAILS INSTEAD

APC CHIEFTAIN JESUTEGA ONOKPASA DIES AT 49

OPPOSITION DEFECTIONS: AN ALBATROSS FOR NIGERIAN DEMOCRACY

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