The Omo Odùduwà Collective has watched with deep concern the dangerous pattern emerging as political activities intensify ahead of the 2027 general elections. What we are witnessing across the federation is not competition, but strangulation. Not democracy, but intimidation. The facts are glaring.
From Abuja to Abia, Edo to Lagos, Benue to Kwara, the political space is being deliberately stifled and poisoned against opposition voices.
This is contrary to the values we hold dear as a people. The facts are glaring. In the Federal Capital Territory, opposition parties must literally break the bank to erect a single banner.
The cost regime imposed by the FCT administration has effectively priced dissent out of the capital of the federation.
In Abia, Edo, Lagos and elsewhere, we see a de facto one-party licensing of public space.
In Abia, it appears only one party has a license to campaign.
In Edo State, Governor Monday Okpebholo has overtly threatened a presidential candidate never to enter his state, and has warned Edo indigenes against wearing materials of any party other than his APC.
No institution has called him to order. Moreover, in Osun State, during the recent off-cycle election, a serving Senator openly threatened supporters of the Accord Party with death on live broadcast. Killings linked to political activity were recorded before, during, and after that election. In Lagos, the cityscape is dominated by the posters of the ruling party, while opposition parties face a total blackout. Credible reports indicate that media houses in Lagos now exercise self-censorship, refusing legitimate advertorial deals from opposition parties for fear of their own safety. Furthermore, in Benue State, the presidential candidate of the NDC, Mr. Peter Obi, on a humane visit to victims of terror attacks, was barricaded in Makurdi by politically sponsored thugs, in the full glare of men of the Nigeria Police Force. Arrests only came 48 hours later after public outcry.
This pattern is not isolated. Videos circulate from parts of the North showing destruction of campaign materials of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu himself. It is a consuming fire, and no part of the country is immune. Our concern is the body language of the institutions constitutionally empowered to stop it. When security agencies and the electoral umpire seemingly come off as indifferent and comfortable with suppression, in the manner that champions of intolerance like Governor Okpebholo, Minister Nyesom Wike, and Governor Hyacinth Alia are unrestrained and not remonstrated with, the objective citizen is left with no choice but to conclude that this suppression is organized and tolerated as an election-rigging strategy. Let us be clear: Election credibility is not determined on election day alone. An election is not a momentary exercise. It is a process. You cannot harass opposition for one year and expect credibility in one day. You cannot invite criticism on Democracy Day and allow violence against critics on other days.
Therefore, the Omo Odùduwà Collective demands that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu publicly call on his party members and appointees, as well as other politicians in opposition states where hostility is being weaponised, to order. The legacy of June 12 cannot coexist with the suppression of opposition. We equally call on the Nigeria Police Force and other security agencies to be non-partisan. Their duty is to the Constitution, not to the ruling party. We call on INEC to note that a hostile pre-election environment is itself rigging. INEC must speak now, not after the damage is done.
Our purpose as a Collective is neither ethnic antagonism nor partisan opposition. We seek a Nigeria founded on justice, fairness, accountability, and respect for diversity. We believe the Yoruba people have a responsibility to contribute to national renewal, not through ethnic triumphalism, but through principled and moral leadership. The 2027 election must be free, fair, and credible. That journey must start now, with an open political space for all. It is not too late to quench this budding inferno.
Signed for and on behalf of the Omo Odùduwà Collective:
Professor Akinyemi Onigbinde
Senator Babafemi Ojudu
Dele Farotimi
Dr Adeolu Oyekan
Dr Olasunkanmi Olapeju
Mr Samuel Arinloye
