by UCHECHUKWU OKOROAFOR, ABUJA
The remarks attributed to Samuel Danjuma Shekwolo, Chairman of Kuje Area Council in the Federal Capital Territory, represent a dangerous assault on the foundational principles of Nigeria’s democracy. In a widely circulated video, the council chairman declared that residents of Kuje must support the All Progressives Congress (APC) or leave the area council, linking his position to development projects under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and FCT Minister Nyesom Wike. He framed political loyalty as a condition for continued residence, stating in essence that it is “either you’re doing APC or leave the area council.”
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Such language is not mere political rhetoric. It is a thinly veiled threat of exclusion and intimidation. In a constitutional democracy, no elected official has the authority to condition a citizen’s right to live in any part of Nigeria on their political affiliation or voting preference. Sections 40, 41, and 42 of the 1999 Constitution guarantee freedom of association, freedom of movement, and freedom from discrimination. Tying residence or safety to partisan loyalty violates these rights and echoes the authoritarian impulses Nigeria has worked hard to leave behind.
The subsequent attempts by Shekwolo and his aides to walk back the comments—claiming they were taken out of context or were only an appeal for reciprocity—do not erase the damage. Words spoken by a sitting council chairman carry weight. They create fear, chill legitimate political participation, and signal to supporters that intolerance is acceptable. Amnesty International correctly described the remarks as a “call to violence” and an attack on freedom of association and liberty. Opposition parties and civil society groups have rightly demanded accountability.
This incident is not isolated. It fits a pattern of escalating political brinkmanship ahead of the 2027 elections. When public office holders feel entitled to demand loyalty under threat of expulsion or implied insecurity, the result is a poisoned atmosphere that undermines free and fair elections. Development projects, however welcome, do not purchase citizens’ votes or silence dissent. Governance is a duty owed to all residents, not a transaction that converts beneficiaries into political captives.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the leadership of the APC have a clear responsibility. As the head of government and the party’s leading figure, the President must publicly and unequivocally condemn this mentality. Silence or mild distancing will be read as tacit approval. Party leaders at every level—national, state, and local—must make it plain that threats, coercion, and exclusionary rhetoric have no place in the APC. Officials who issue such statements should face internal discipline, and where the statements cross into potential criminal intimidation, relevant authorities should investigate without fear or favour.
Nigeria’s democracy is still consolidating. It cannot afford elected officials who treat political opposition as an existential threat warranting displacement. The right to vote freely, to live without fear of political retribution, and to hold differing views is non-negotiable. President Tinubu and the APC leadership must draw a bright line: those who cannot accept that principle have no business holding public office or speaking for the party. Anything less invites the very instability and distrust that progressive politics claims to reject.
Kuje’s residents, like all Nigerians, are citizens first—not subjects of any political party. Their safety, their homes, and their ballots must never be held hostage to partisan loyalty.
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