Assassinating political opposition: An "Albatross" and aberration-the Cross River example

Abstract

Logicians, though they are not mathematicians, do challenge mathematicians to prove that one plus one is equal to two; so also it appeals to governance and especially the democratic system, where the judiciary and legislature act as watch dogs to the executive; so is the opposition party to the ruling party. This is what the opposition parties represent in a developed democracy. It becomes an aberration when one attacks the other with the aim of elimination. In cross River State, within the period under study, opposition parties and their operators were hunted into their villages, killed or maimed. In fact, it was a silent agreement that, the fear of the ruling party is the beginning of wisdom. This research is a synopsis of the drama called politics in Cross River State from the beginning of the second Republic. This paper also studies the duties of both the ruling and opposition parties in an ideal democracy with a view to contributing to knowledge. It concluded that whereas they perform their duties as watchdogs, provide constructive criticisms and present better alternatives to issues for the citizens, opposition parties must respect constituted authorities as this forms the beauty of democracy.

Key words: Assassination, Politics, Opposition, Aberration Cross River State, Democracy