Human rights lawyer, Maduabuchi Idam, on Wednesday criticized President Bola Tinubu over his comment that “all is fair in politics”.
Idam said the remark which Tinubu made during his meeting with the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria led by Cardinal John Onaiyekan, is an invitation to ballot rascality.
In a statement he signed, the constitutional lawyer warned that Tinubu’s remark could be misinterpreted by overzealous supporters as an “open cheque to anarchy and political violence.
Idam said, “The President’s assertion that “all is fair in politics” is an invitation to ballot rascality. Taken literally, it risks being interpreted by overzealous supporters as an open cheque to anarchy, political violence, intolerance, and hostility toward dissenting voices in the name of electoral competition.
“How is a supporter of the President expected to understand that hate speech, intimidation, and violence remain unacceptable when the message conveyed is that “all is fair in politics”? How does such a supporter learn to accommodate opposing opinions without becoming combative after hearing those words from the nation’s highest office?
“Sadly, Mr. President has remained consistent in advancing political stance that market him as uncivilized Democrat. It is not different from his “snatch it, grab it and run away with it” postulation and will definitely encourage every kind of practice to gain vote by politicians, after all, “all is fair in politics.” According to Mr. President.
“If that is indeed the principle being preached, and others are permitted to rely on the same interpretation without risking arrest or prosecution will the Nigerian society reamain habitable?
Or is the President’s statement intended to enjoy a special interpretation unavailable to everyone else?
“Should the public not give those words their ordinary and literal meaning? If so, how does that differ from the comments made by Omoyele Omoyele Sowore, which became the subject of criminal proceedings? If “all is fair in politics,” should the DSS not reconsider its case against him?
“How else can the President’s statement be reasonably interpreted without inviting negative consequences for political culture?
“Our democracy deserves leadership that promotes civility, restraint, respect for dissent, and fidelity to the rule of law, not rhetoric capable of being construed as an endorsement of political lawlessness.”
