By
Ola Olateju
The Nigerian democratic space is under siege. Barely days after the police disruption of the ADC convergence in Kaduna, an act that culminated in the invitation of Mallam Nasir El Rufai and six other party leaders, has the same pattern unfolded in Lagos. This time, the police stormed and sealed Lion’s Field in Alimosho Local Government, the designated venue for an ADC leaders’ convergence, 24 hours before its scheduled take-off.
The event, spearheaded by youth leaders Dr. Abdul Azees Akinwale Akinsanya and Mr. Olalekan Anjolaiya aka aerosoft, with strong backing from Lagos ADC Chairman George Ashiru, the Obidient Movement led by Gbadebo Rhodes Vivour and Rainbow Alliance led by Olatunji Olateju, was intended to showcase ADC’s rising strength and unity. Instead, the venue was locked down under the vague justification of “orders from above.” Attempts to reach the Lagos State Commissioner of Police proved futile.
The Danger of “Orders from Above”
The Nigeria Police Act 2020 goes beyond rhetoric. Section 137of the Act underscores that officers are not bound to obey unlawful orders, and, must report them. This is an explicit safeguard against partisan deployment. If a venue is to be closed, the police should cite a specific legal power and produce the written order or court process, Vague “security concerns” or verbal directives are not enough in a constitutional democracy.
The Alimosho development is not an isolated occurrence. It is symptomatic of a larger malaise. Nigeria has fought hard to escape the shackles of authoritarian rule, yet the deployment of the police to pre-empt and disrupt legitimate political gatherings drags the country back to the shadows of military-style governance. When the police, an institution meant to serve all Nigerians impartially, becomes the barricade against free assembly, democracy itself is barricaded.
Nigeria’s constitution protects freedom of association and peaceful assembly. Any restriction must be lawful, necessary, and proportionate. The Court of Appeal in IGP v. ANPP (2007) held that requiring police permits for peaceful rallies is unconstitutional. This was a landmark guardrail against using security agencies to stifle politics.
Those guarantees are reinforced by Nigeria’s international obligations such asICCPR Article 21 and African Charter Article 11. The latter having domestic force via the African Charter (Ratification and Enforcement) Act and affirmed by the Supreme Court in Abacha v. Fawehinmi(2000). The court clearly affirms that peaceful political meetings are presumed lawful and the burden is on the state to justify any interference.
In a nutshell, Nigeria’s constitution guarantees freedom of association and peaceful assembly. The courts have ruled that citizens do not need police permits to gather. By sealing political venues on the eve of opposition events, the police have crossed the line from protectors of order to enforcers of partisanship.
The APC’s Fear of 2027
Security-led gatekeeping of political space tilts the field before ballots are cast, undermining 2027’s credibility. Even if stability is the stated goal, disproportionate restrictions signal fear rather than confidence. This inference is strengthened by the rapid sequence of summonses and closures around ADC activities. The Police disruptions are frankly not about “security.” It is all about fear. The ruling APC, confronted with the growing momentum of an opposition coalition that could reshape 2027, is using state security apparatus to suffocate that momentum before it flowers. The Kaduna disruption and the Alimosho lockdown both reveal a ruling party terrified of free political competition. Such fear-driven governance is the seedbed of authoritarianism.
But fear is a terrible foundation for stability. Each time the police block an opposition meeting, the government confirms to Nigerians and the international community that it doubts its own legitimacy. Far from strengthening its grip, it accelerates the erosion of public trust.
International human-rights standards are explicit on restrictions on assembly. These standards clearly stipulate that restrictions on assembly must be exceptional and strictly necessary. Routine, pre-emptive closures or amorphous “orders” invert those standards and habituate the bureaucracy to unlawful shortcuts.
The Consequences of Police Partisanship
There is a dangerous irony here. In weaponising the police for political purposes, the state risks delegitimising the very institution it relies upon. Once the public begins to see the Nigeria Police not as their police, but as the “Government Police Party,” a reputational wound that would be hard to heal, the gap between citizens and law enforcement will widen into open defiance.
And history shows that when people lose faith in state policing, they improvise. Communities may rally towards self-help structures that may herald the beginnings of what could be called a “People’s Police Party.” Such parallel legitimacy structures are unstable, unpredictable, and often uncontrollable. The state itself may be unable to contain the consequences once the Government Police Party and People’s Police Party confront each other. The state needs to avoid this situation.
The Path Forward
Nigeria stands at a red line. If the government truly believes in its vision for 2027, it must allow the field to be contested openly and freely. The police must immediately withdraw from Lion’s Field and cease acting as political referees. Police officers, bound by the Nigeria Police Act 2020, are not obliged to obey unlawful commands, and sealing venues without lawful basis is one such unlawful act.
The Alimosho shutdown is indefensible in law and reckless in politics. The Kaduna summonses and closures already show a pattern that, if left unchecked, will harden perceptions that the state fears open competition in 2027. That is the road to authoritarian habits, not democratic consolidation. The police exist to protectconstitutional politics and not to curate it. Nigeria’s laws and the world’s standards leave no ambiguity on that point
If this trend continues, Nigeria risks normalising authoritarian exceptionalism, alienating its youth, and fueling political instability. The lesson is clear: democracy cannot survive when the police are tools of partisan control.
Recommendations – now, not later
- Unseal venues and guarantee safe passage. Where there is no specific, published legal order, the police should immediately vacate sealed political venues and provide security to all parties on equal terms.
- Publish the basis of any restrictions. If the police rely on a court order or specific statute, release it. Sunlight is the antidote to suspicion.
- Legislative oversight. The National Assembly’s Police Committees should open hearings on political-event policing practices ahead of 2027.
- Judicial remedy. Organisers should file for enforcement of fundamental rights and seek urgent injunctive relief where closures occur without lawful basis—courts have already set the standard in IGP v. ANPP.
- PSC and NHRC review. The Police Service Commission and National Human Rights Commission should investigate alleged partisan deployments and sanction responsible officers where findings confirm abuse.
- Political class restraint. All parties—ruling and opposition—must eschew “might makes right.” Using the police to hobble rivals today legitimises the same playbook against you tomorrow.
Political Panorama insists on the stand that Nigeria Police must reclaim its constitutional role as a neutral protector of all citizens, not as the hired muscle of the ruling party. The health of our republic and the peace of our future depends on it.
OLATUNJI OLATEJU IS A POLITICAL SCIENTIST, PUBLIC AFFAIRS ANALYST, AND PUBLISHER OF THE POLITICAL PANORAMA. HE WRITES WEEKLY ON ISSUES OF GOVERNANCE, LEADERSHIP, AND THE FUTURE OF NIGERIA. WHATSAPP: 08096688868
