Titus Eleweke, Editor South East, Sept 21:26
AWKA, Anambra – Anambra State-born human rights lawyer and lead counsel to the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Sir Ifeanyi Ejiofor, has described what he called “isolated skirmishes, billboard controversies and clashes between rival supporters” as dangerous developments that could escalate into a far more serious national phenomenon if left unchecked.
In his Monday Musings titled “When Democracy Begins to Smell of Gunpowder: The Dangerous Rise of Political Violence,” Ejiofor warned that the emerging trend should concern every discerning citizen, particularly as Nigeria approaches the 2027 general elections.
The human rights lawyer said there is “something profoundly disturbing” about the increasingly violent undertones accompanying political mobilisation in different parts of Nigeria.
“What may presently appear as isolated skirmishes, billboard controversies and clashes between rival supporters could, if left unchecked, become a far more dangerous national phenomenon as the 2027 General Election approaches.
“Recent events ought therefore to command the attention of every discerning citizen.
“In Warri, Delta State, reports emerged of suspected thugs disrupting a mobilisation rally involving supporters of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and Rabiu Kwankwaso. Videos circulated showing a chaotic confrontation, while allegations were made that politically sponsored attackers targeted members of the campaign movement.
“These remain allegations requiring appropriate investigation, but the very occurrence of such a confrontation is disturbing enough.”he added.
Ejiofor also referred to developments in Ideato, Imo State, where another troubling controversy has emerged over the removal of political billboards belonging to Hon. Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere and other candidates.
He noted that a Federal Capital Territory High Court, in an interim order dated 20 July 2026, reportedly restrained the Imo State Government, security agencies and other defendants from destroying, dismantling, defacing or removing the billboards, as well as from interfering with certain civic activities.
The larger issue, however, he argued, transcends Warri or Ideato.
According to him, the real concern is the dangerous normalisation of political confrontation, in which disagreement is increasingly treated as an invitation to hostility.
“And herein lies the danger.
“Political billboards are not worth human blood. Political parties are not worth the destruction of friendships, communities or lives. No candidate, however beloved, should become the reason one Nigerian raises a weapon against another Nigerian.”he added.
Ejiofor regretted that the youths most frequently recruited into political confrontations are often the very citizens who bear the heaviest consequences of unemployment, insecurity and poor governance.
Ejiofor observed that some young people willingly become instruments of violence in exchange for token payments or the fleeting satisfaction of defending a politician.
The statement reads in part:
“There is an old wisdom that when two elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers. In our political ecosystem, however, there is an even more painful irony: the elephants often return to the dining table, while the grass is left to count its wounds.
“The politician who sends a young man into a street fight is unlikely to stand beside him when the police arrive. He will probably be somewhere in the comfort of his home, office or convoy, discussing strategy while the young recruit explains himself before a magistrate.
“After the election, the same youth may discover that his political benefactor has developed the remarkable ability to forget the names of those who fought his battles.
“What a curious political investment: sacrifice your life for another man’s ambition and receive neither a dividend nor a guarantee.
“Security agencies, too, must remain within the boundaries of their constitutional and statutory responsibilities. Where a civil regulatory dispute arises over signage, campaigns or political activities, the resort to military or other armed personnel should not become an automatic substitute for lawful civil processes.
“Where a court order exists, the proper response is obedience, clarification or lawful challenge—not self-help.
“The lesson for our youths is simple but profound: do not surrender your future to somebody else’s political ambition. Do not allow yourself to become a willing instrument of violence merely because another person has the resources to finance it. You have only one life, one future and one name.
“If political disagreement arises, answer it with argument, organisation, lawful protest, civic engagement and, ultimately, the ballot—not with bottles, stones, machetes, guns or arson.
“The time to extinguish a fire is when it is still a flame, not when the entire house is burning. A stitch in time, as the proverb reminds us, saves nine.
“If politically motivated violence is allowed to become normal before the 2027 elections, we may discover too late that what we dismissed today as ‘mere politics’ was actually the first warning bell.
“Let every political actor, security institution and citizen therefore understand this solemn truth: an election is temporary; the nation is permanent; political office is transient; human life is irreplaceable.
“Let us disagree passionately, compete vigorously and organise courageously, but let us never make violence the language of our democracy.”