A lawyer and public affairs analyst, Justice Osai Ahiakwo, has raised the alarm over what he described as the steady degeneration of politics in Rivers State from democratic engagement to intimidation and threats.
In a statement, Ahiakwo said healthy political competition in the state has given way to a crude struggle for dominance, where power is no longer treated as a public trust but as a weapon deployed against opponents.
According to him, debate and competence have been replaced by blind loyalty, while policy discussions have yielded ground to coercion, a development he warned poses serious danger to democratic governance.
He traced the roots of the problem to entrenched godfatherism and political gangsterism, noting that powerful political figures often install loyal protégés who govern for private interests rather than the public good.
The lawyer said dissent is routinely punished in such a system, elections are reduced to rituals, and political authority increasingly resembles control of a private estate by a strongman.
Ahiakwo observed that as politicians focus on survival and supremacy, governance collapses, leading to decaying infrastructure, stalled development and growing youth unemployment across the state.
He expressed deep concern over the recent normalization of open threats by senior political actors, citing public statements by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory which he said suggested dire consequences for politicians supporting the Rivers State governor.
He warned that such rhetoric goes beyond political drama and amounts to the language of vengeance, capable of legitimizing violence in a state already burdened by political thuggery.
The public analyst stressed that words from public officials carry significant weight and often serve as signals to followers, particularly youths.
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