NIGERIA RISKS DISINTEGRATION IF INJUSTICE PERSISTS, it will survive on the basis of justice, fairness, and democratic integrity.– Wale Balogun

NIGERIA RISKS DISINTEGRATION IF INJUSTICE PERSISTS,it will survive on the basis of justice, fairness, and democratic integrity.– Wale Balogun Human rights advocate and political activist, Comrade Wale Balogun, has raised alarm over what he describes as Nigeria’s steady descent into authoritarianism and ethnic exclusion under the current administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. In a strongly worded statement made available to the press, Balogun warned that the continued marginalisation of the Igbo ethnic group — particularly the coordinated denial of an Igbo presidency — may legitimize rising calls for Biafran self-determination. “You cannot continue to treat a people as second-class citizens and expect them to remain in a union based on oppression. If Yoruba and Hausa/Fulani political elites continue to gang up against Ndigbo, then the right to self-determination becomes not only justified but necessary,” Balogun said. He decried the ethnic profiling and voter suppression of Igbos during the 2023 elections in Lagos, calling it electoral apartheid designed to intimidate non-indigenous voters and rig outcomes in favour of the ruling APC. Balogun expressed concern over the Tinubu administration’s alleged efforts to turn Nigeria into a one-party state, citing the co-optation of the judiciary, the silencing of opposition voices, and increasing clampdowns on dissent. He pointed to the harassment of former interior minister Rauf Aregbesola, whom he described as a target for daring to speak out against Tinubu’s “cult-like political structure.” He further declared that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), under Professor Mahmood Yakubu, has lost credibility and must not be allowed to conduct the 2027 elections without comprehensive, citizen-led electoral reforms. “The rigging of 2027 has already begun , starting with flawed voter registration and an impending falsified census. Nigerians must act now to resist manipulation at every stage of the democratic process.” Balogun called on civil society organisations, youth movements, opposition parties, and community leaders to mobilise for genuine reform, and warned against allowing the current National Assembly, which he described as a “Yes-man institution”, to impose self-serving reforms. In his final appeal, Comrade Balogun urged Nigerians to rise in peaceful but determined resistance to dictatorship and injustice. “No one has a monopoly of violence. While we do not call for war, we will defend our rights with our voices, our votes, and our collective power. Let the ruling class know that power belongs to the people, not a cabal.” “Let it also be known: if equity fails, unity cannot stand. Ndigbo, and any other marginalised group, cannot be expected to pledge loyalty to a country that constantly excludes them.” Balogun reaffirmed his commitment to Nigeria’s survival, but only on the basis of justice, fairness, and democratic integrity.