By Joycelyn Ellakeche Adah
The Chairman of the Police Community Relations Committee (PCRC) for the FCT Command in Abuja, Chief Rufus Ebegba, has cautioned politicians and their supporters against allowing the pursuit of power to fuel violence, intimidation, and fear across Nigeria.
Speaking with PerSecond News in Abuja, Ebegba stressed that partisan interests must never supersede the rights and freedoms of citizens.
He also lamented a growing climate of fear, noting that many Nigerians are now hesitant to openly express views that clash with those of political actors.
He said violence had increasingly become associated with political activities, including party gatherings, processions, town hall meetings and consultation points, making public participation in the political process a source of fear.
“This is not the country our forefathers left for us, and definitely not the kind of country of our dream,” he said.
With political campaigns ongoing across the country, the PCRC chairman urged politicians to obey electoral rules, guide their supporters and take responsibility for their actions and utterances.
He warned that no political party or individual should consider themselves above the law, insisting that intimidation and violence must have no place in the electoral process.
Ebegba said every eligible citizen must be allowed to participate freely and express political preferences without fear of attack, stressing that the electoral process must not be disrupted.
He questioned why politics had become a do or die affair, arguing that the temporary nature of political power should encourage candidates and their supporters to conduct themselves with restraint.
“After all, only one person will win and only one will be sworn into power. Politicians must be sportsmanlike. There is still life after politics, and after power. Elections will come and go, but the country must remain.”
He called for a free, fair and peaceful electoral process, urging politicians to allow citizens to make their choices without coercion or threats.