In yet another appalling display of political intolerance, Nigeria’s democratic credentials have taken a violent battering following a brazen, cowardly attack on members of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) in Enugu State.
The brutal disruption of a peaceful grassroots meeting in Obuoffia Ward, Nkanu West Local Government Area, represents not merely a localised act of violence, but a direct and disgraceful assault on the fundamental rights guaranteed by the Constitution.
In a blistering statement issued by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Osa Director, Esq., the NDC laid bare the dark underbelly of the local political landscape, accusing state-sponsored thugs of carrying out the unprovoked assault.
The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Enugu now stands under intense scrutiny, with the opposition arguing that a panicked establishment, utterly unnerved by the NDC’s surging momentum, has resorted to primitive intimidation tactics to stifle dissent ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Equally damning is the staggering complacency of law enforcement agencies. The security apparatus across Enugu and the broader South-East region appears content to stand idly by while democratic norms are violently dismantled.
This shameless inertia—evidenced previously by unpunished attacks on NDC gatherings in Imo State during town hall consultations by senatorial candidate Uche Onyeogocha—has actively emboldened political arsonists. By failing to act decisively, the security services have effectively signalled that state-aligned thuggery operates with impunity.
However, if the shadowy orchestrators behind these despicable attacks intended to demoralise the opposition, their gambit has failed miserably.
The NDC has made it unequivocally clear that it will neither be cowed nor coerced into silence. Emphasising that no political faction holds a monopoly on force, the party reaffirmed its constitutional right to self-defence and issued a stern warning that further violence will no longer be tolerated.
Nigeria cannot claim to be a functional democracy while opposition figures are systematically brutalised for exercising their freedom of association.
Security agencies must immediately shake off their disgraceful lethargy, launch a rigorous investigation, and bring both the perpetrators and their political paymasters to justice.
Anything short of swift, decisive prosecution will confirm that law enforcement in the region is hopelessly compromised, serving as little more than a passive accomplice to authoritarian rule.
