By Roy Ofori African Heritage Global Affairs Editor
The recent virtual ADC-DN Convergence held on 1 November 2025 may have unfolded without the drama of a physical convention hall, but it produced one of the most powerful political commentaries of the year. At the center of that moment was Hajiya Nàja’atu Muhammad, the renowned political activist whose interventions have long served as a moral compass for Nigeria’s democratic conversation.
Speaking with characteristic candor, she issued a blunt warning that has since echoed across Nigeria’s political and diaspora circles: opposition parties are increasingly becoming an endangered species under the Tinubu administration, and it now “takes real courage to be a member of the ADC.”
Her message, clear and unflinching, cut through the usual diplomatic caution of political gatherings. Delivered virtually, it nonetheless carried the full weight of her convictions and the urgency of the moment.
A Shrinking Space for Dissent
Hajiya Nàja’atu’s assessment of Nigeria’s political climate was as sharp as it was unsettling. She described a democratic space contracting at alarming speed, where dissenting voices face a combination of:
- institutional intimidation,
- coordinated media delegitimisation,
- and internal destabilisation efforts targeting non-compliant political structures.
Her warning that “opposition voices are not just being marginalized, they are being endangered” was not delivered as hyperbole, but as a sober reflection of the lived realities of many opposition actors across the country.
In a nation that prides itself on democratic plurality, her remarks exposed the fragility, perhaps even the illusion of that plurality under mounting pressure.
Why the ADC Finds Itself at the Epicenter
Among the political parties navigating this tightening space, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has found itself particularly targeted, not because of its size, but because of its rising profile and refusal to compromise on:
- internal democracy,
- transparency,
- and values-based political engagement.
Nàja’atu argued that the ADC’s insistence on ideological independence rather than transactional politics has made it a threat to entrenched interests. Its vulnerability, she suggested, is not a sign of political weakness but rather evidence of a system that is increasingly intolerant of principled opposition.
Tinubu’s Nigeria: An Unforgiving Political Terrain
While maintaining a measured tone, the activist offered a clear critique of the governance environment under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. She highlighted a troubling pattern:
- Intense hostility toward voices and groups questioning government policies,
- Eroding institutional neutrality,
- Persistent difficulty for opposition parties to secure visibility, legitimacy, and operating space.
Her observations were less an attack on an individual and more a reflection on the evolving architecture of power an architecture she fears is tipping Nigeria toward democratic regression. “If we silence dissent,” she warned, “we silence democracy itself.”
A Strategic Call to the Diaspora
Addressing participants from Europe, North America, Asia, and Africa, she emphasized that the Nigerian diaspora must rise as a defensive bulwark for political pluralism. With its vantage position, wealth of knowledge, and global networks, the diaspora can:
- amplify suppressed voices,
- document and highlight political injustices,
- and help safeguard the civic space that domestic actors increasingly struggle to protect.
Her remarks transformed the digital meeting into a strategic moment of introspection and renewed resolve for ADC-DN members.
A Courageous and Timely Wake-Up Call
Nàja’atu Muhammad’s intervention was more than a comment on political conditions—it was a call to action. It reminded the ADC-DN, and Nigeria at large, that democracy does not survive on the strength of incumbency, but on the resilience of those who dare to question power.
Her message was unmistakable:
Nigeria cannot afford a future where opposition becomes symbolic rather than substantive.
Her challenge was even more direct:
Opposition is not merely a political identity it is a civic responsibility.
As Nigeria inches closer to the political heat of 2027, her remarks stand as a prophetic reminder of what may be lost if current trends continue unchecked. This was not rhetoric; it was a diagnostic warning from a seasoned political observer who has spent decades defending democratic ideals.
For Nigeria’s opposition parties, especially the ADC and for the broader democratic community, her message should serve as both a caution and a rallying cry:
Defending democracy begins with defending the freedom to speak, to dissent, and to oppose.
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