By Dr. Buchi Nnaji

Something is going dangerously wrong with the political atmosphere in Enugu State. The reported attack on NDC supporters at Obuoffia Ward last Saturday, coming against the backdrop of reported attacks and disruptions involving PDP activities in Akpugo, Obe and Agbani in Nkanu West, should not be dismissed as ordinary political skirmishes. They are disturbing signs of an emerging intolerance of opposition as Enugu approaches the 2027 election. When political meetings becomes occasions for intimidation and violence, the question is no longer who is fighting whom; it is whether fear is begining to replace democratic confidence in Enugu politics.

That raises an uncomfortable question for the administration of Gov. Peter Ndubuisi Mbah: who is afraid of the opposition? A government confident in its record should welcome political competition and allow its achievements to speak for themselves. An opposition rally should not constitute a threat to an administration that genuinely believes it enjoys the confidence of the people. If opponents can be defeated through performance, persuasion and the ballot, why resort to intimidation? Fear or failure should never become the operating principle of democratic politics. If the government believes it has performed well, let it defend its record. If the opposition believes it has a better alternative, let it make its case. Let the people decide.

This is where the biblical warning about Jacob and Esau becomes particularly instructive: “The voice is Jacob’s voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau.” Government may speak the language of peace, tolerance and democracy while politically motivated violence allegedly plays out on the streets. I am not alleging, without evidence, that Governor Peter Mbah or his administration ordered any of these attacks. But government cannot simply wash its hands of incidents occurring under its watch. Its responsibility is clearly to investigate the reported attacks, identify those responsible, protect political gatherings and ensure that nobody enjoys immunity because of political connections. The voice may be peaceful; the hands must also be clean.

I am equally sending an important warning to political actors in Nkanu West to leave opposition parties alone. No ward, community or local government belongs to one political party. Nobody has the authority to decide who may meet, mobilise supporters or campaign for votes. Nkanu West must not become a theatre of political intimidation ahead of 2027. Today, the target may be PDP or NDC; tomorrow, it could be another party. Once violence becomes an accepted instrument of political competition, nobody can confidently control where it ends.

The Enugu State Government therefore has questions to answer, not necessarily about who ordered these attacks, but about what it is doing to prevent them. A government cannot claim democratic credentials while citizens fear exercising basic political freedoms. These incidents have occurred under its watch, and that demands more than condemnation after the fact. The government should be demanding answers from the security agencies, insisting on credible investigations and making it unmistakably clear that political violence will not be tolerated, irrespective of who benefits from it.

Enugu may not yet be under a constitutional state of emergency, but the emerging political climate should be treated as an emergency warning. Political violence rarely begins with a full-blown crisis. It starts with intimidation, then attacks, then retaliation and counter-retaliation, until political disagreements become communal and personal conflicts. Waiting until lives are lost before recognising the danger would be an unforgivable failure of leadership and security.

The Police, DSS and other security agencies must therefore rise to their constitutional responsibilities. They must investigate the reported attacks, identify perpetrators and sponsors where evidence permits, protect political gatherings and prosecute offenders without fear or favour. Security agencies must not wait for violence to escalate before acting. Their duty is preventive as well as reactive. 2027 must not become a contest of guns, gangs and intimidation; it must be a contest of ideas, records and votes.

Political power is temporary; Enugu is permanent. Governors will leave office, parties will rise and fall, and candidates will win or lose elections. What must not be destroyed in the process is the democratic environment that belongs to every citizen. Those in government today may be in opposition tomorrow. Those in opposition today may govern tomorrow. It is therefore reckless for anyone to poison the political atmosphere for the sake of temporary advantage.

The Mbah administration must decide what political legacy it wants to leave behind. If its record is strong, defend it. If the opposition is wrong, defeat its arguments. If its candidates are stronger, win the votes. But do not allow political violence to become the answer to political competition. Government’s responsibility is not merely to condemn violence after it occurs; it is to prevent it, investigate it and ensure accountability.

As 2027 approaches, Enugu cannot afford a politics in which the voice of Jacob is heard from the podium while the hands of Esau allegedly appear in the streets. The contradiction must end. Let every party organize. Let every candidate speak. Let the government defend its record. Let the opposition challenge it. Let the security agencies protect the people and enforce the law without political favour. And let the people decide. The ballot must remain the battlefield of democracy; the streets must never become the battlefield of politicians.