By Dr Festus Goziem Okubor
There is something profoundly comical about a grown politician who mistakes the language of the playground bully for the vocabulary of democratic leadership.
Senator Ovie Omo-Agege’s reported declaration of “rig and die”, accompanied by the even more disturbing “we will kill you”, deserves more than laughter. It deserves serious public scrutiny.
Haba! Is this a political campaign or an audition for the role of village terror?
Even children quarrelling over a football know that threatening to kill an opponent is not a winning argument. Yet here we are, confronted with words attributed to a former Deputy President of the Nigerian Senate, a man who should understand that elections are decided by ballots, not bullets!
What exactly is the intellectual content of “we will kill you”? Is it a manifesto? An economic programme? A road construction policy? Or has political desperation become so acute that threats of death are now being marketed as electoral strategy?
When a politician starts sounding like the villain in a poorly scripted Nollywood film, citizens have every reason to demand explanations!
And this is not a politician whose public history is entirely innocent of controversy involving political violence.
Nigerians have not forgotten the disgraceful April 2018 invasion of the National Assembly during which the Senate’s mace was forcibly removed. Omo-Agege’s name featured prominently in the controversy surrounding that extraordinary assault on parliamentary dignity. Although allegations surrounding his personal responsibility must be distinguished from judicially established guilt, that episode remains a legitimate subject of public scrutiny.
A mace yesterday. Threats of killing today. What should Nigerians expect tomorrow?
The question is not whether Omo-Agege has already committed the crimes suggested by such language. That is for competent authorities to investigate and the courts to determine. The question is why anyone aspiring to the Senate from Delta State would employ, or permit to be attributed to him, rhetoric so easily understood as a threat to human life.
If the reported words are authentic, they raise an urgent security question: Was this merely reckless political boasting, or does it suggest knowledge of, encouragement for, or preparation towards organised electoral violence?
That question cannot be answered by laughter, partisan exchanges or social media insults. It demands investigation.
I therefore call upon His Excellency, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, Governor of Delta State, in his constitutional responsibility for the peace and security of the state, to formally draw the attention of the Police, Department of State Services and other competent security agencies to these reported statements and request an appropriate threat assessment.
Omo-Agege should be treated as a person whose reported statements warrant serious security interest, with any monitoring or investigation conducted strictly within the law.
Security agencies should establish the authenticity and complete context of the remarks, determine whether any credible threat exists, and investigate any evidence suggesting plans to intimidate voters, undermine elections or deploy violence.
No politician, however highly placed, should enjoy immunity from scrutiny when human lives and electoral peace may be at stake.
Delta State is not a battlefield. Its citizens are not disposable political pawns. And the 2027 elections must not become an examination in which candidates graduate by threatening to kill their opponents!
The most ridiculous part of this political chest-beating is the apparent belief that frightening voters is evidence of strength. It is not. Real strength persuades. Leadership inspires. Democracy competes.
Only political immaturity mistakes a death threat for a campaign slogan.
Senator Omo-Agege should clarify precisely what he meant, whom he addressed, and why such language belongs anywhere near an election.
And if he was merely joking, he should be reminded that death is a most unfortunate subject for political comedy.
There is a simple democratic principle that even a kindergarten pupil can understand:
If you cannot win their votes, you have no right to threaten their lives!
Delta deserves campaigns of ideas, not rehearsals for violence. Let the security agencies investigate. Let the law prevail. And let every politician understand that the road to all political offices in Delta State passes through the ballot box, not the mortuary.
Enough of the infantile political tantrums. Delta State is too precious to become anybody’s playground of terror!
