Criminals Must Not Decide Our Democracy: Why Kidnappings Shouldn’t Swing 2027 Elections

We must keep conversations around political leadership away from narratives that hand criminals the power to engineer regime change.

Till today, the abduction of the Chibok girls remains the most cited reason for President Jonathan’s electoral defeat. In other words, it took the criminal intervention of actors we should treat as collective enemies to create the basis for removing a sitting President.

If this pattern continues unchecked, given the massive weight it now carries in shaping our voting behavior, we risk normalizing a dangerous trend that could ultimately destroy our democracy.

As tragic as the recent kidnapping of innocent citizens in Oyo is, it will not form the basis of my political decision in 2027. We must confront these terrorists and dismantle their enablers with such collective resolve that it signals the end of this trend.

While we may differ on who should win or lose an election, we must agree on one principle: bandits, kidnappers, and criminals should not be the single factor determining who emerges victorious in 2027.

I have deliberately refused to ethnicize this conversation because criminals have their own tribe. Every ethnic nationality in Nigeria has contributed its share to that membership. For me, the path forward is zero tolerance for this form of criminality. We must stop weaponizing it to advance political campaigns or personal hatred for a political leader.

— Mazi Ejimofor Opara