Harassment Of Makinde, Bala Mohammed Is A Calculated Assault On Democracy

Former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Olabode George, has condemned what he described as the harassment of the Governor of Oyo State, Seyi Makinde, and his Bauchi State counterpart, Bala Mohammed.

Speaking via a statement, George argued that it is a calculated assault when state executives are intimidated for holding different views.

Reflecting on Nigeria’s democratic journey and recent political and economic developments, the elder statesman maintained that democracy without a viable opposition is dictatorship in disguise.

George decried what he called the growing intolerance of dissenting political voices.

The statement read: “We stand at a critical junction in our nation’s journey. The air is thick with apprehension, not because of a lack of potential, but because of a systematic erosion of the democratic values ​​that bind us together. First, we must address the alarming pattern of hostility directed toward dissenting voices.

“The harassment of Governors Bala Mohammed and Seyi Makinde of Bauchi and Oyo states is not merely a political skirmish; it is a calculated assault on the federalist structure of our nation. When state executives are intimidated for holding different views, it signals a dangerous slide toward a one-party state. Democracy thrives on a plurality of ideas, not the silence of the graveyard.

“While our people grapple with unprecedented hardship, we see a jarring disconnect in the corridors of power. The massive contributions toward a private library for the First Lady, Remi Tinubu, represent a profound insensitivity to the current economic climate. In a land where millions go to bed hungry, such funds would have been better utilized in ameliorating the biting poverty that has become the daily companion of the average Nigerian.

“Leadership must be about service and sacrifice, not the curation of legacies while the people suffer. Furthermore, we call upon the Chairman of INEC. The credibility of our democracy rests squarely on your shoulders. You must be just; you must be fair. The era of “miracle results” and technical glitches must end. Nigeria deserves transparent, free, and fair elections where the ballot, not the “arrangement”, determines the victor.”