Enugu: Show your works, not your power

By Dr Paul Egbo

Enugu is in the news again. But this time, not for the right reasons.

In the Coal City that Wawa man built with peace and brotherhood, a dangerous darkness is creeping in. Reports of opposition party members being waylaid, beaten, harassed and shot at by thugs and miscreants have become too frequent to be dismissed as a coincidence.

Just recently, the NDC candidate and his supporters became victims of this barbarism.

A state’s progress is measured not only by the roads it builds or the projects it commissions, but also by whether its people can live, speak and organise without fear. Development deserves recognition.

But where political activity is met with violence, the achievements of government risk being overshadowed by questions about safety, fairness and democratic freedom.

Recent reports from Enugu are deeply troubling. On 12 September, armed men reportedly disrupted a Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) ward meeting in Obuoffia, Nkanu West, with party members said to have sustained gunshot injuries.

The police confirmed that the meeting was disrupted and said the incident was under investigation.

Reports of a further attack on Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC) supporters at Enugu airport on 10 October have heightened concern about the safety of opposition groups. These allegations demand a thorough, impartial investigation and clear public answers.

No responsible person should rush to pronounce guilt before the facts are established. But neither should the gravity of these reports be softened by political convenience.

An attack on a political meeting is an attack on citizens’ right to assemble and participate in public life. Where there are claims of gunfire, injury or intimidation, security agencies must investigate promptly, protect witnesses and bring anyone found culpable, whether assailant, sponsor or accomplice, to justice.

We, Ndigbo, have a sacred philosophy that has held our communal democracy for centuries: “Ebiri Ka M Ebiri” – Live and Let Live. Let me live and let you live. Let your own live so that mine can live. It is the foundation of Igbo republicanism. It is the reason we never had kings who owned the people. When we abandon Ebiri Ka M Ebiri, we abandon who we are.

Is it not the truth?

The present administration of His Excellency, Barr. Peter Ndubuisi Mbah has been praised, and rightly so, for its numerous developmental strides. From the aggressive road revolution across the state, to the Smart Green Schools initiative, to the attraction of investment and the attempt to reposition Enugu as a viable economic hub.

If these are visible governmental benefits that are true and verifiable, then the Governor has worked. And if so, that is precisely why this violence is unnecessary.

Dear Governor Mbah,
Your work should be your megaphone.
Your achievements should be your campaign.
This is the time to market yourself with your work, not with intimidation. Tell your party and your supporters to show your work, not your power.

Show your achievements, not your choice.
Show your knowledge, not your soldiers.
Show your capacity, not your capability for coercion.

Or is it not the truth?

Because what does a man who has built roads need thugs for? What does a government that has built schools need to fear ballot boxes for? True power does not need to break bones to prove it exists. True leadership does not need to spill blood to retain a seat.

A governor who has performed has no opponent, because performance is the greatest lawful rigging strategy. The people will defend what benefits them.

When you allow either by direct instruction or by indifferent silence opposition parties to be attacked, you diminish your own achievements. You turn development from a legacy into a footnote of fear. You make the people ask: If he is doing so well, why is he afraid of competition?

Enugu State cannot afford to become a theatre of political thuggery. We have a history of peaceful transition, of political tolerance.

From Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo to Chimaroke Nnamani to Sullivan Chime to Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, Enugu has never been known as a state where opposition candidates cannot campaign.

We must not set a new, ugly precedent now.
Enugu belongs to all its citizens, across party lines. Its peace cannot be the possession of one political camp, and its future cannot be secured by silencing dissent.

The task before the Governor, political parties, security agencies and community leaders is to protect every citizen’s right to participate and ensure that political disputes are settled by argument, law and the ballot. Let Enugu be known for what it builds, the dignity it protects and the choices its people are free to make.

This pattern of violence and thuggery is totally unacceptable. It is alien to Enugu. It is alien to Ndigbo.

Therefore, we make this solemn appeal: to Governor Peter Mbah: Publicly condemn these attacks in the strongest terms. Order the security agencies to investigate, arrest and prosecute the perpetrators, no matter whose colours they wear. Restrain your supporters. Your legacy must be of roads and schools, not of scars and fears.

To the Security Agencies: The Commissioner of Police and the DSS must rise above partisanship. Protection must be for all political parties, not just the ruling party. A crime against NDC is a crime against PDP, and other political parties, because tomorrow it could be APC

To Enugu people: Do not keep silent. An injury to one is an injury to all. Today it is NDC, tomorrow it could be your party, your son, your brother.

Democracy is not war. An election is not a battle. It is a market of ideas. Let the people come to the market and choose.

Let Enugu choose.
Let Enugu breathe.
Let us return to Ebiri Ka M Ebiri.
Let the people make their choice.

Egbo, egbo4christ@gmail.com