Death By a Thousand Cuts  

Opeyemi Adamolekun argues that discontent in a democracy is shown at the ballot 

“Death by a thousand cuts” is a metaphor for creeping normality, a process by which a major change can be accepted as normal and acceptable if it happens gradually through small, often unnoticeable, increments of change. (Wikipedia)

In the English language, the phrase “death by a thousand cuts” is an idiom that refers to a series of bad events, none of which is devastating on its own but, when added together, result in disaster. (Richards, Layton & Finger)

“Death by a Thousand Cuts” is similar to “The Boiling Frog Theory” when a frog is placed in tepid water, which is its natural habitat, and the water is boiled slowly. The frog feels the heat gradually but adjusts to the warmth until it’s boiled / cooked to death. In contrast, a frog that’s dropped in hot water will hop out quickly.

It’s 2026 and Nigerians are slowly being killed by a thousand cuts – insecurity, hunger, destruction of institutions, heat strokes, suboptimal social services etc. In his speech at the 2026 APC Convention, President Bola Tinubu said, “[APC] was founded as a vehicle for national transformation, a home for anybody who wants to build a Nigeria where governance works, institutions function, opportunities abound, security reigns, poverty declines, and every Nigerian, regardless of tribe, religion, region or social status, can live with dignity and hope.”

APC was formed by three legacy parties (ACN, CPC, ANPP and a faction of APGA) in February 2013. After 13 years with 3 presidential terms, the scorecard is quite poor. To Mr. Tinubu’s points, there’s poor governance; institutions are undermined, some of our best and brightest have “japaed” for better opportunities, insecurity and resulting deaths have increased significantly with supporting data, poverty has increased based on anecdotal evidence and all Nigerians certainly don’t have the same opportunity to live with dignity and hope.

Opportunists as Opposition

In Mr. President’s words, “Democracy thrives on vibrant and healthy competition.” On this, he’s spot on! It’s interesting to see “archeologists” dig up his tweets condemning former President Jonathan for the exact same things he is currently doing. APC was a formidable opposition and with tweets and press statements, they identified the issue and communicated clearly what they would do differently if given the opportunity. They were also the loudest opposition party. Their proposition aligned with a populace that wanted better governance outcomes and the APC’s 2015 presidential victory was uncontested. By 2019, it was clear that the packaging was much better than the content, but the subversion of people and processes to ensure APC wins at different levels had taken root. It was perfected in 2023 when a regulation written in black and white, forming the legal framework for our elections was disregarded in clear violation of the spirit and the letter of the law.

When you are dealing with people who have had years of practice as opposition, who got a leading opposition member and presidential aspirant to serve in their government without leaving his party, you have to do more than write tweets and issue statements. You also have internal and external forces working to ensure your parties are tied up in internal squabbles and legal matters. Creativity and innovation then become a necessity for survival. Citizens who want an alternative then become your greatest assets. Unfortunately, this cohort of opposition members are spending a lot more time negotiating power than crafting a meaningful message for the people they expect to vote for them.

On the back of this, the APC continues to undermine democratic institutions. The judiciary is assumed to be compromised from the Supreme Court to the lower courts given the track record of judgements, utterances and actions in the last few years. After all, the fish does rot from the head. There is a video circulating on WhatsApp of the new houses built for judges in Abuja. The text for one of the posts says, “This is the newly built JUDGES VILLA that comes with a brand new SUVs for soft landing ahead of 2027 election. #JudiciarySettled” Sadly, quite a number of Nigerians believe this about the judiciary. In a recent conversation with a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), he described the judiciary as “an instrument of political delivery.” How does a body of learned colleagues who are to interpret our laws and pass judgement based on evidence / facts become so vilified?

The Statehouse (Aso Villa) has a WhatsApp Channel that provides updates on the activities of the federal government. Since yesterday evening, subscribers have been inundated with media assets from the APC Convention. Of course, the president’s speech and some images of him can be shared, but to turn it into a marketing tool for the party is a very simple example of how APC has blurred the lines between the man, the party and the nation.

What makes a democracy different from a military dictatorship or monarchy is the “voice” that citizens have in choosing their elected officials and holding them accountable. There is no shortcut to getting good governance outcomes than helping citizens connect the dots.

Discontent in a democracy is shown at the ballot. Simple. While we might wish for a stronger and more organised opposition party that engages the issues and provides alternatives, ultimately, the citizens are the opposition as we have the power of the vote. 2027 is also not just about the presidential. There are many other positions to engage where you can rehire or fire – 28 state governors, 469 seats in the National Assembly and 993 seats across all 36 state Houses of Assembly. Remember, the “Office of the Citizen” is the highest office in the land. Occupy it and use it well!

•Adamolekun is an active citizen.