…insists accountability is not authoritarianism

By James Ogunnaike, Abeokuta

The Convener of The Alternative, Otunba Segun Showunmi, has dismissed growing claims that Nigeria’s democracy is under threat, insisting that recent political developments reflect accountability and healthy competition rather than repression.

Showunmi, in a statement titled “Democracy Is Not Your Scapegoat: Accountability Is Not Authoritarianism,” made available to newsmen in Abeokuta, argued that the challenges facing opposition parties in Nigeria, stem largely from internal weaknesses and strategic missteps, not any systemic clampdown.

“This reads more like frustration than fact. No one is strangulating political parties in Nigeria. What we are witnessing is the natural consequence of political competition colliding with accountability under the law, he said”

He cautioned political actors against mistaking personal or party setbacks for a broader democratic decline, stressing that parties must take responsibility for their internal crises.

“People should be careful not to conflate personal political setbacks with a collapse of democracy. Political parties are not entitled to immunity from internal crisis, defections, or the consequences of poor strategic judgment”, Showunmi noted.

According to him, the current political climate merely exposes deeper structural issues within opposition ranks. “What is being exposed is a failure of opposition cohesion, not the death of democratic space,” he added.

On leadership and generational transition, Showunmi urged politicians to embrace political reality and invest in grooming successors.

“If ambition is no longer aligning with political reality, the honest course is to acknowledge the limits of one’s journey. “Politics, like life, is generational. Leadership is ultimately judged by what it has seeded in those coming behind.”

Addressing ongoing investigations and enforcement actions involving public officials, Showunmi maintained that due process must prevail.

“The principle is straightforward: those who have committed infractions must answer to the law,” he stated.

“Public figures cannot be insulated from scrutiny simply because of political alignment or timing. Allegations of wrongdoing must be tested in accordance with due process, not dismissed wholesale as persecution.”

He further emphasized the importance of party discipline and institutional order, warning against attempts to undermine established rules.

“Those who have abused internal party processes or attempted to game the system must understand that consequences are part of institutional order. Law and party discipline are not instruments of oppression; they are the scaffolding of any functioning democracy”, Showunmi stated.

Showunmi also rejected attempts to blame the current administration for opposition struggles, noting that political contestation predates any single government.

“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu did not invent political contestation, nor is he responsible for the opposition’s inability to present a coherent alternative. A competitive system demands resilience, organisation and credibility, not perpetual claims of victimhood.”

He concluded with a call for introspection among political leaders, warning that alarmist rhetoric could do more harm than good.

“Democracy is not weakened because the opposition is struggling; it is weakened when leaders refuse introspection. Nigeria’s system remains open. What is required is better politics, not louder accusations.”