2027: ‘There Is Concerted Effort Orchestrated By Someone To Stop All Opposition Parties’ – Jega

A frontline political analyst, Mahmud Jega, has declared that the growing perception of a coordinated effort to weaken opposition parties ahead of the 2027 election is becoming undeniable.

Naija News reports that Jega made this known while reacting to the court judgment nullifying the registration of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC).

Speaking on Arise Television’s ‘Prime Time’ programme, Jega warned that Nigeria’s democracy is at risk if opposition parties are prevented from contesting the forthcoming general elections.

He advised President Bola Tinubu to openly condemn the attitude of some judges towards opposition political parties and their opposition to Nigeria’s democracy.

According to Jega, it was important for Tinubu, as the head of the country’s most powerful institution, to discourage anything that undermines democracy.

He said, “After what happened in PDP, politically it [judgement against NDC] is very significant, because unfortunately it adds to the widespread and growing perception that there is a concerted effort orchestrated by someone to stop all the opposition parties from contesting next year’s election.

“After what happened in PDP, after what is happening in ADC now, it has come to NDC, not to mention Labour Party, NNPP, SDPC and a small party like PRP, once it produced a presidential candidate, some people went to court, and the whole matter.

“So the perception is growing that there is a concerted effort to stop all the opposition parties from contesting next year’s election. Now, actually, that will be like the end of democracy in Nigeria if we don’t have an opposition party.

“I don’t know who is orchestrating this but it is very important for the presidency, because it is the most powerful institution in the country, to distance itself and discourage what is happening.

“In 2001 when PDP was ruling, and the opposition ANPP at that time was going to hold a convention here in Abuja, and the convention was on Saturday, and already thousands of people were there, they had been campaigning all over the place for party offices, and then on Friday afternoon, a judge of the Abuja High Court, issued an order stopping the convention, and they all had to scatter.

“A few days later, President Obasanjo had his monthly media chat, was asked about that, he said ‘it is wicked, it is wicked,’ he said it three times, that was very important.

“It sent a message, very important. And because of that, possibly the National Judicial Council took steps, and the judge was actually, either retired or sacked. It is very important for the presidency right now to do a similar thing.”