Prof. Kila just said what we are all thinking about this NDC deregistration

Prof. Anthony Kila of CIAPS has come out to say what many of us have been muttering in our parlours and at our bus stops. He told ARISE NEWS today that the deregistration of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) is a dangerous move for our democracy. He said, and I quote, "You can't just go ahead, deregister the NDC as if there's no consequence." That is the kind of plain speaking we need more of in this country.

Kila did not stop there. He went further to say the judiciary is being weaponised. He said, "You have to be intellectually blind or morally mischievous not to see that in this country." He also called out the politicians who run to court to settle internal party disputes, saying shame on them for corrupting democracy. But here is the part that got me thinking. He admitted there is no proof that Aso Rock directed the court. Yet the optics are terrible. And in a country where perception is reality, that is enough to make people lose faith completely.

My own take is this. We cannot keep treating opposition parties like enemies of the state. Competition should be about ideas and policies, not about who can eliminate the other through a judge. Kila is right that the judiciary needs independence from the executive, but that will not happen as long as the president appoints the head of the judiciary and funds the courts. So I ask you, is Nigeria truly a democracy when the tools of the state are used to silence the opposition? Be honest.