“Nations that prune opposition under the cover of “efficiency” always regret it later. Today it is “underperforming parties”. Tomorrow it is “disruptive voices”. The same law you use to deregister others will be used to silence you when power changes hands”
A political party is more than a logo on a ballot. It is the organized hope of millions who do not see themselves in the mainstream. It is a channel for dissent, for new ideas, for pressure that keeps power from becoming arrogant.
So when INEC deregisters parties in Nigeria, it is not just administrative cleanup. It is the shrinking of our democratic space.
A democracy with only 2 or 3 parties is not democracy — it is an oligarchy in disguise. When you delete parties, you delete options. When you delete options, you tell citizens: “This is the only way you’re allowed to think.” That is how frustration grows, and how streets replace ballots.
The harsh truth: only the wealthiest parties survive high thresholds. Young movements, issue-based parties, regional voices, and parties of the poor are wiped out first. So we end up with a democracy where only money talks. The farmer in Mgbidi, the student in Abuja, the trader in Lagos their concerns get no microphone.
Nations that prune opposition under the cover of “efficiency” always regret it later. Today it is “underperforming parties”. Tomorrow it is “disruptive voices”. The same law you use to deregister others will be used to silence you when power changes hands. Power is a borrowed robe.
Strong parties, even small ones, keep the big parties awake. They ask hard questions. They propose alternatives. They remind us that government exists for the people, not the other way around. Remove them, and the remaining parties start treating elections like coronations.
INEC’s job is to referee, not to reduce the number of players. Clean the voters’ register, punish electoral fraud, enforce transparency yes. But do not decide for Nigerians which political dreams are allowed to live.
If a party cannot win votes, the people will retire it at the ballot. That is democracy.
But if INEC retires parties before the people vote, that is control. And control is the first cousin of tyranny.
“Let the ballot be the judge. Let the people be the jury.
Democracy is not strengthened by fewer voices. It is strengthened by more voices competing with ideas, not intimidation.
More parties. More debate. More democracy.
