Governors’ Growing Threats to Democratic Values

With the 2027 elections approaching, many believe only President Bola Tinubu can caution some governors elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress against anti-democratic rhetoric that could  endanger  the country’s democracy, especially with the increasing threats against opposition leaders, Davidson Iriekpen writes

One week after Edo State Governor, Monday Okpebholo, warned the presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 elections, Peter Obi, against entering the state without security clearance, reactions have continued to trail the governor’s outburst.

In a viral video, Okpebholo had, at a political rally in Uromi, Esan North East Local Government Area of the state, alleged that Obi’s recent visit to the state triggered unrest and warned that such a visit must not be repeated without his approval.

The governor claimed that after Obi donated N15 million during a previous visit to Benin City, three people were killed and threatened that the Labour Party (LP) chieftain’s security would not be guaranteed any time he entered the state again without clearance. 

He further declared that all traces of the opposition would be completely erased by the 2027 general election.

“Last week, we finally buried the PDP in Edo State. I saw someone crying at Ring Road, talking about having 65 per cent. That is what we call social media winning. When I said I would become the Governor, I meant it. Today, we are turning Edo into a construction site, and they can see it,” he said.

As part of his humanitarian works, Obi, on July 7, visited St. Philomena Hospital School of Nursing Sciences, Benin City, where he was warmly received, and he donated ₦15 million to support the completion of ongoing projects in the institution.

Despite the backlash that greeted his threats, the governor, at the official inauguration of the newly revived Edo Line last Tuesday, defended his threats, saying he had no regrets issuing the warning.

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, who was at the event, defended the governor’s remarks, saying it was legitimate advice for Obi’s safety, rather than a threat.

Though the scenarios were different, Wike said as governor of Rivers State, he provided logistics and vehicles for Obi when he visited the state because he informed him of the visit.

Okpebholo’s outburst was not an isolated case. It was the second time an All Progressives Congress (APC) governor would issue such a warning to Obi, who has increasingly drawn attention as political activities in the lead-up to the 2027 general election intensify.

In April, Benue State Governor, Hyacinth Alia, also warned the former Anambra governor, an indication of what would be expected during the campaigns for the 2027 elections.

Obi had planned visits to internally displaced persons camps and health facilities in the state.

But in a statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Tersoo Kula, Governor Alia declared that the government could not guarantee his safety.

Though Obi later cancelled the trip, the Principal Special Assistant to the governor on National Programmes, Civil Society, Voter Education, and Strategic Interventions, Solomon Semaka, in a statement, accused Obi of attempting to use the state as a platform for political relevance.

He described Obi’s planned visit to the IDP camps as “political charity,” alleging that the former Anambra State governor was disguising political manoeuvres as humanitarian concern.

Semaka uncharitably claimed that Obi has a history of “emotional blackmail and mind games” targeted at exploiting the plight of vulnerable Nigerians for personal political survival.

However, Obi’s supporters insisted that his humanitarian activities predated his entry into politics.

He had successfully visited Nasarawa and Plateau states where he delivered humanitarian services to the needy and was warmly received by the governors. Recently, he went to Morkwa, Niger State, when floods ravaged the community.

Many in Obi’s camp said it was curious that Alia could threaten and stop him from visiting the state, but could not threaten or stop the killers on a rampage in the state since he came to power in 2023.

Meanwhile, Okpebholo’s comments have continued to spark outrage across the country with various civil society organisations (CSOs), senior lawyers, opposition politicians and human rights activists condemning and describing them as reckless.

They stated that the governor’s action is a direct assault and violation of fundamental rights enshrined in the 1999 Constitution, which guarantees the right to life and freedom of movement to all citizens, as well as Article 4 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights. Also, under Section 14(2)(b) of the Constitution, the security and welfare of citizens remain the primary responsibility of the government.

This is why they urged President Bola Tinubu to call members of his party to order, stating that statements like those of the governors only serve to “overheat the polity and undermine the principles of political pluralism.”

They described the threat and restriction of movement as a direct challenge to Nigeria’s unity and a brazen attack on the constitution, adding that the governor lacks the constitutional powers to abridge any citizen’s right.

They also wondered where the governor derives his powers to bar a Nigerian citizen from visiting his state unless such a person obtains permission from him otherwise the person’s security will not be guaranteed, saying that it is a dangerous threat to life that the authorities should not gloss over.

Those who spoke to THISDAY do not want a repeat of what happened in 2023 when every obstacle was put in place to prevent the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and former Vice-President, Atiku Abubakar, from campaigning in Rivers State

Rivers was the only state where Atiku did not campaign and nobody could dare caution then Governor Wike, who also withdrew the approval given to Atiku to use Adoki Amasiaemeka Stadium in Ikwerre Local Government Area for the presidential campaign.

Before then, the governor had sealed Atiku’s campaign office in Port Harcourt, citing a court order.

Prior to the closure of the office, some supporters of Atiku had cried out that they and their interests had become targets of the governor. 

The safety and security of the opposition leaders in the state deteriorated to the extent that there was an attack on the house of Lee Maeba, Atiku’s key supporter in the state, who accused the state government, even though it vehemently denied it.

Atiku’s photographs also disappeared from all campaign materials of the PDP in the state and anybody found with any material promoting Atiku was considered an enemy of the state.

The growing culture of intolerance being exhibited by some governors, if left unchecked, could fracture Nigeria’s democracy.

Politicians destroyed the first and second republics.

Democracies do not die in one fell swoop. They die slowly, through unchecked rhetoric, through the corrosion of norms and the silence of good men. 

Unfortunately, those who never fought for Nigeria’s return to civilian rule are the ones destroying the current democracy.

The philosophical underpinning of a constitutional democracy is the limitation of power. When such power is unchecked, the state becomes a tool of tyranny rather than a shield for the weak. 

Governor Okpebholo’s remarks, whether cloaked in the language of security or the bravado of political ascendancy, reduce the democratic space to a fiefdom, where governors’ words supersede the constitution.

 Aware of the dangers in Okpebholo’s threats, human rights lawyer and democracy activist, Mr. Femi Falana (SAN) had asked the Edo State governor to withdraw his statement and apologise to Obi.