Prominent African Democratic Congress (ADC) chieftain Lawal Batagarawa has warned that Nigeria’s multi-party democracy is under threat, alleging that state power and institutions are being used to pressure opposition politicians into changing political allegiance, a development he said undermines the principle of free association.
Batagarawa, made the remarks during an interview on ARISE News on Tuesday, where he expressed concern over what he described as a systematic pattern of coercion against opposition figures.
“Multi-party democracy is grounded on the principles of free association. When the government begins to take decisions that inhibit those free associations, then there is a threat to multi-party democracy,” Batagarawa said.
He argued that political participation must begin at the individual level and remain voluntary.
“It is important to reduce it to the individual level first before you escalate it to the level of party,” he stated.
Batagarawa disclosed that opposition figures across parties had raised similar concerns.
“A number of opposition politicians within the ADC and the PDP have issued statements detailing a pattern that is emerging, which is putting pressure on people to change alliances, not on the basis of their free will, but on the basis of pressure from the government,” he said.
“The issue of joining political parties should be based on your free will. But if you are put under pressure, and that pressure becomes systemic and widespread, then it means you are undermining multi-party democracy.”
Asked to provide evidence of such pressure, Batagarawa cited a widely publicised political statement made by a former ruling party chairman.
“Let us take the statement of Adams Oshiomhole when he was chairman of the APC. He made a public statement that anybody who joins the APC, their sins are forgiven. That is a loaded statement,”he said.
He added:
“It is not me who made that statement. It is not the ADC. It was the chairman of the APC who said that if you join our party, whatever your crime, you are free.”
Addressing allegations that the opposition was opposed to anti-corruption efforts, Batagarawa rejected the suggestion outright.
“The answer is no. We are very clear,” he said.
“I was part of the Obasanjo government. We brought the legislation to the National Assembly that established the EFCC. The current National Security Adviser was the first chairman of the EFCC.”
He stressed that the ADC supports the work of security agencies, provided it is conducted transparently.
“We do not condone corruption or fraud. We support security agencies to discharge their responsibilities honourably,” Batagarawa said.
“We have no problem with the security agencies doing their jobs in a transparent, honest and clear manner.”
However, he raised concerns about what he described as selective prosecutions.
“Where you see cases taking off with a lot of fanfare, suddenly things slow down. The media hype disappears and everybody loses interest,”he said.
“That lack of consistency gives us serious cause for concern.”
Batagarawa warned that prolonged delays could undermine public confidence.
“When cases are delayed or buried, it does not inspire confidence in the security agencies or in the judiciary,” he said.
“If people are shut down, they will find a way to resort to self-help. That is a very dangerous, slippery path. It leads to anarchy.”
He placed ultimate responsibility on the President.
“The chief security officer of the nation is the President. If he allows this to continue, then he takes full responsibility. Leading the country along that slippery path is dangerous.”
Turning to what the ADC offers Nigerians as an alternative, Batagarawa said the party’s focus is security, peace and economic recovery.
“I will talk about two areas: security and peace,”he said.
“Security is different from peace, but they are two sides of the same coin. You cannot expand your economy if you are in a perpetual state of insecurity or lack of peaceful coexistence.”
According to him, restoring safety would unlock economic activity.
“We will ensure a secure and peaceful environment so people can go about their lawful businesses and earn a living without fear of molestation,”he said.
On the economy, Batagarawa argued that official inflation figures do not reflect lived realities.
“The official inflation figures and what is happening in people’s pockets are two different things,” he said.
“Because of insecurity, many people no longer have access to their land or their markets. They cannot earn a living.”
He also criticised large-scale food imports, warning of their impact on local farmers.
“Massive importation has crippled local agricultural production,”Batagarawa said.
“Some agri-businesses have calculated losses of up to ₦600,000 per hectare due to high input costs.”
He listed rising production costs as a major concern.
“The cost of fertiliser is still high. Insecticides are high. Herbicides are high. Yet the price of produce is falling,”he said.
On insecurity, Batagarawa condemned the arming of unregulated groups.
“Given the amount of arms in illegal hands, and in some instances state governments handing weapons to vigilantes, this is further fuelling the crisis,”he said.
“What happens when you give arms to people without training, discipline or proper pay?”
He concluded that Nigeria must prioritise disarmament and tighter arms control.
“First, we must absorb arms out of illegal hands. Then we must stop arms from getting into the wrong hands again,” Batagarawa said.
Boluwatife Enome
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