FALCON MEDIA

On Thursday, 22nd January 2026, the Chairman of Enugu East Local Government Area reportedly distributed 10kg of rice and one wrapper each to headmasters and headmistresses, instructing them to ensure all teachers under their supervision register as APC members.

This action, if left unchecked, represents a serious threat to democratic freedom and the neutrality of public institutions.

Teachers are public servants whose responsibility is to educate and guide society, not to be converted into instruments of partisan mobilisation.

Using inducements or pressure to compel political registration is a clear abuse of authority and a violation of every citizen’s constitutional right to freely choose a political affiliation.

This practice is not isolated. In Nkanu West, there are ongoing reports of house-to-house and site-to-site mobilisation, where citizens are being pressured to register as APC members.

This points to a broader pattern of coercive political engagement at the grassroots level.

Enugu East and Nkanu West together account for thousands of teachers, workers, and residents.

Targeting such a large segment of the population for forced political registration undermines trust in governance, drags the education sector into partisan politics, and weakens democracy itself.

This is not a trivial matter. It is a dangerous precedent that must be confronted immediately. Public office exists to serve the people, not to coerce them.

A state violates human rights when it fails to take steps to promote and advance them. One way in which the state may fail in this regard is by not restraining itself in the use of force according to formal legal provisions.

Pressuring citizens to register for a political party through gifts, threats, or intimidation clearly fits this definition.

This issue must be escalated, exposed, and addressed. Democracy is not for sale. Political freedom is not negotiable. Every citizen must be free to choose without fear, pressure, or inducement.