POLI-ATTACK-TICS: Sinister alliance undermining Nigerian democracy

By Chris Okobah Ph.D

Nigeria’s democracy, a dream of freedom, fairness, and justice, is now under an unprecedented assault. This assault—referred to as “POLI-ATTACK-TICS”—is not an isolated act but a calculated conspiracy among politicians, corrupt judges, security operatives, complicit citizens, and compromised Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) officials.

Together, they exploit power for personal gain and wield influence to undermine democracy, suffocating the hopes of millions in the process.

The magnitude and audacity of this conspiracy have left Nigeria reeling, and the consequences on the nation’s democratic institutions and values are nothing short of catastrophic.

1. The Machinations of POLI-ATTACK-TICS: An Unholy Alliance
Democracy should embody the voice of the people, but in Nigeria, that voice is being suppressed by those entrusted to protect it.

Politicians, driven by self-interest, have allied with corrupt judges and INEC officials to manipulate electoral processes, ensuring that power remains in the hands of a chosen few.

As Martin Luther King Jr. famously said, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” In Nigeria, this injustice is not just tolerated; it is cultivated in a system designed to suppress accountability and oppress those who seek change.

Corrupt judges, instead of upholding the rule of law, twist it to protect these politicians, absolving them of wrongdoing and helping them to maintain stolen mandates.

Meanwhile, security operatives act as enforcers of this corruption, silencing opposition voices, intimidating voters, and deterring protests.

Even some citizens, disillusioned or incentivized, become complicit, trading votes for bribes or positions, thus deepening the cycle of impunity and betrayal.

Together, they create a powerful alliance—a cabal—focused on dismantling democracy, piece by piece.

2. The Role of INEC in the Attack on Democracy
At the center of Nigerian democracy lies the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the institution responsible for ensuring free and fair elections.

Yet, under POLI-ATTACK-TICS, INEC has become a willing tool in the hands of corrupt officials. Bribes, manipulation, and rigging have transformed the commission into a puppet that validates stolen mandates rather than serving as the guardian of democracy.

“The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants,” Thomas Jefferson once said, underlining the necessity of vigilance to safeguard democracy.

However, in Nigeria, the patriots have been silenced, while the tyrants flourish. When electoral officers—those entrusted with safeguarding the democratic process—betray their duty, democracy itself withers.

This betrayal strips citizens of their right to choose their leaders, ensuring that elections are mere formalities rather than genuine expressions of the popular will.

3. Security Operatives: Enforcers of Corruption and Intimidation
Security operatives—police officers, military personnel, and other agencies—who should protect citizens and ensure a peaceful democratic process are instead used as instruments of fear and intimidation.

They are deployed to suppress dissent, crush protests, and intimidate opposition voices. They directly interfere with the electoral process by seizing ballot boxes, disrupting voting stations, and instigating violence to skew results.

Nelson Mandela once remarked, “There is no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way it treats its children.” In Nigeria, this statement holds grim significance as children grow up witnessing democracy distorted and perverted by those in uniform.

This unholy use of security operatives sends a dark message: that power does not lie in the hands of the people but in the fists of those willing to wield brutality.

This perversion of duty poisons the very fabric of democracy, breeding fear instead of freedom.

4. Complicit Citizens: When the Betrayed Become the Betrayers
In this insidious assault on democracy, some citizens have also become willing participants.

Disillusioned by a system that repeatedly fails them, some have chosen to join the ranks of the oppressors, selling their votes for bribes, favors, or positions.

They become pawns in a game that will ultimately destroy them, reinforcing the very structures of oppression that they claim to despise.

The great civil rights leader Malcolm X warned, “If you’re not careful, the newspapers will have you hating the people who are being oppressed and loving the people who are doing the oppressing.”

The Nigerian experience reflects this reality as some citizens, turned against one another by the powerful, fail to recognize their common cause.

This betrayal of democracy by the people it should serve leads to a fragmented, weakened populace, incapable of standing united against corruption and oppression.

5. The Consequences of POLI-ATTACK-TICS on Nigerian Democracy
The consequences of this calculated conspiracy are devastating. Democracy, once envisioned as a beacon of hope, has become an illusion, a cruel joke.

Institutions that should embody accountability—judiciary, law enforcement, electoral commissions—are tainted by corruption, their integrity shredded by those who should protect it.

Lord Acton’s timeless observation that “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely,” finds tragic proof in Nigeria, where absolute power is sought and maintained through absolute corruption.

With each rigged election, each bribed judge, and each corrupted official, trust in democracy erodes. Citizens grow disillusioned and apathetic, withdrawing from the political process. When people no longer believe their voices count, they cease to engage, and democracy, reliant on the active participation of the people, withers.

This loss of faith creates a dangerous void where apathy and cynicism replace hope and action, rendering democratic change impossible.

6. Impunity and the Culture of Corruption
The POLI-ATTACK-TICS conspiracy has bred a culture of impunity, where those in power act with absolute disregard for laws and consequences.

Politicians and their accomplices know they can manipulate the system, fostering an environment where corruption is not only tolerated but expected.

This unchecked impunity gives rise to a vicious cycle where each new generation of leaders is more corrupt than the last, each judicial ruling less fair, each election more compromised.

Impunity is a disease that infects every level of society. As corruption goes unpunished, the message is clear: dishonesty, betrayal, and oppression are the surest paths to success.

As Chinua Achebe lamented, “One of the truest tests of integrity is its blunt refusal to be compromised.” Yet, in Nigeria, compromise has become the currency of survival, traded freely in the pursuit of power.

7. Destruction of Democratic Institutions
As POLI-ATTACK-TICS continues, Nigerian institutions—the judiciary, electoral bodies, and security forces—are degraded and hollowed out, becoming mere shells of their intended purpose. When justice becomes a commodity, the courts lose credibility.

When elections are manipulated, INEC loses authority. When security forces become instruments of terror, they lose legitimacy. Institutions that should uphold democracy are instead dismantling it from within.

These institutions, once pillars of democracy, have become liabilities. Martin Luther King Jr.’s words ring true: “A threat to justice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” This assault on Nigeria’s institutions is an assault on justice itself.

As these institutions collapse, the entire nation stands on the brink of chaos, teetering on the edge of total dysfunction and anarchy.

8. The Broader Impact on National Identity and Morality
The damage caused by POLI-ATTACK-TICS extends beyond institutions to the national psyche. Nigerian citizens, especially the youth, are left questioning the value of honesty, integrity, and hard work in a society where corruption is rewarded.

As Desmond Tutu rightly stated, “If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.” Apathy has become the natural response to a system that offers no justice, no hope, and no accountability.

In this environment, national pride is eroded, and citizens become disengaged from a country that appears to have abandoned them.

When the social fabric is torn by corruption and betrayal, unity becomes impossible, and divisions deepen. Without a collective identity founded on trust and shared values, the dream of a democratic Nigeria becomes ever more elusive.

The POLI-ATTACK-TICS conspiracy is a brutal betrayal of Nigerian democracy. This alliance of politicians, corrupt judges, security operatives, and complicit citizens has turned the promise of democracy into a nightmare of oppression and betrayal.

It is a cancer that, left unchecked, threatens to consume the nation entirely. Yet, there is hope in awareness and action.

Nigerians must recognize the magnitude of this assault and resist it with everything they have. In the words of Thomas Jefferson, “Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty.”

The Nigerian people must be vigilant, courageous, and unyielding in their demand for accountability, justice, and true democratic governance.

They must rise to expose and dismantle the forces conspiring against their freedom. Only then can Nigeria rebuild a democracy that is not merely an illusion but a vibrant, living reality for all its citizens.