By joshua 
Scorecards, Not Suppression: Nigerians Deserve a Real Choice
By Christopher Sunday
In a true democracy, power is not defended by tactics, it is defended by performance. The job of any government is simple: show your scorecard, convince the people, and earn their mandate again. But what we are witnessing today raises a serious concern, is this still democracy, or is it gradually becoming political domination?
Under Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress, there is a growing perception that the focus is shifting away from accountability to control. Instead of boldly presenting measurable achievements that can win the sympathy of the masses, there appears to be an increasing effort to weaken the very foundation of democratic competition.
Let’s be clear, Nigerians are not asking for manipulation, they are asking for results. Where is the scorecard? Where are the undeniable improvements in the economy, in security, in jobs, in electricity? These are the real issues. These are the real campaigns.
Yet, rather than allowing a free and open political contest, there are concerns that the system is being shaped to favor a restricted battlefield, one where only the APC and the People’s Democratic Party remain dominant on the ballot. If that is the direction, then it is not strategy, it is suppression.
Democracy does not fear opposition. Weak leadership does. A confident government throws the field open and says, “Judge us by what we have done.” But a government that appears more interested in limiting alternatives sends a different message, one of insecurity and doubt.
Nigerians deserve more than recycled choices. They deserve a system where new voices can emerge, where ideas can compete, and where leadership is earned, not protected.
This is the moment for honesty. If the administration believes it has delivered, then let the people decide freely. No restrictions, no quiet maneuvering, no shrinking of political space. Just performance versus alternatives.
Anything less is not democracy. It is control dressed up as governance.
And Nigerians are watching.