26 February, 2026
by Mohammed Bello Doka
Why has the communication culture of Nigeria’s ruling party become so saturated with insults that official statements now read less like the voice of a governing institution and more like verbal skirmishes in a motor-park union dispute? When releases by APC spokesmen such as Felix Morka and Bayo Onanuga routinely deploy derision, mockery and contempt toward opposition actors, the question is no longer partisan — it is national: who exactly is the APC speaking to — fellow citizens or enemies to be humiliated?
Nigeria is a country of professors, doctors, traders, farmers, parents and a vast diaspora. Its ruling party’s words travel globally. When those words descend into ridicule and name-calling, they do not merely target an opposition party; they diminish the dignity of the Nigerian state itself. Never in Nigeria’s democratic history has the official communication of a governing party so frequently resembled partisan invective. That is why the APC statement signed by Felix Morka is not merely political — it is reputationally damaging. It embarrasses a nation.
The Double Standard at the Core
The statement condemns the ADC for allegedly accusing the APC before investigation. Yet in the same breath, it declares the ADC “prime suspects” and insinuates the shooting was of its “exclusive making.” In one paragraph, the APC demands due process; in the next, it assumes the roles of investigator, prosecutor and judge.
This is not rhetoric. It is contradiction. A party cannot preach restraint while practicing presumption. The moral authority of its argument collapses instantly.
The Communication Failure Question
How does such a document pass through the communication machinery of a ruling party?
Where were the proof-readers?
Where were the policy advisers?
Where were the legal cautions?
Where was tone discipline?
Where was institutional dignity?
Modern governing parties operate layered review systems precisely to avoid reputational missteps: policy vetting, legal review, tone moderation, strategic framing. The Morka statement reads as though none existed. If this is indeed the output of the APC’s communication architecture, the deeper issue is structural: is there any internal check that separates party messaging from raw partisan impulse?
Claims of Competence vs National Indicators
The statement pivots to celebrating APC governance and electoral victories. That pivot invites scrutiny: do Nigeria’s measurable realities support the triumphant tone?
Poverty
Nigeria now hosts one of the world’s largest populations living in poverty, with projections indicating around 141 million people — roughly 62% of the population — in poverty in 2026, according to reports from PwC and aligned with World Bank estimates and analyses. Multidimensional poverty measurements from Nigeria’s National Bureau of Statistics (2022 MPI) indicate that a significant portion of Nigerians experience overlapping deprivations in health, education, and living standards, with 63% affected in earlier assessments that remain foundational. These are not opposition figures; they are institutional data.
Inflation and Cost of Living
Nigeria’s inflation has moderated recently but remained elevated, with headline inflation at 15.10% in January 2026 (National Bureau of Statistics), down from higher peaks exceeding 30% in 2024. Food inflation has also eased but previously contributed to eroding real incomes across social classes. A governing party celebrating progress while households have faced sustained price pressures invites credibility questions.
Security
The statement invokes the “war on terror” and sacrifices of troops — a solemn subject. Yet Nigeria has simultaneously recorded persistent banditry, mass abductions, and insurgent violence across multiple regions. Publicly acknowledged ransom payments by communities and authorities during kidnapping crises have been widely reported in Nigeria’s media ecosystem. Notably, a recent February 2026 AFP exposé cited intelligence sources alleging that the Nigerian government paid a substantial ransom — estimated at up to $7 million total (around 40 million naira per head for up to 230 abducted pupils and staff from St. Mary’s School in Niger State in November 2025) — to Boko Haram militants for their release, alongside claims of freeing two commanders. A government cannot rhetorically claim decisive security progress while citizens and institutions resort to ransom negotiations for survival. That tension is real and measurable.
Health
Nigeria’s health indicators remain among the weakest for its income level: maternal mortality ratio stands at approximately 1,047 per 100,000 live births (recent global estimates), one of the world’s highest, with Nigeria accounting for a significant share of global maternal deaths. Doctor-to-population ratios are far below WHO recommendations, at around 0.4 physicians per 1,000 people (World Bank data, 2023) or roughly 2.9–4 per 10,000 in more recent assessments, equating to about one doctor per 3,000–3,500 people. Public hospitals struggle with staffing shortages, equipment deficits, and migration of health professionals. These realities temper any narrative of systemic transformation.
Education
Out-of-school children remain in the millions — with estimates of about 10.5 million children aged 5-14 not in school (UNICEF Nigeria), one of the highest figures globally, and some reports indicating up to 18–20 million. Literacy gaps, teacher shortages, and infrastructure deficits persist, especially in rural regions. Again, these are not partisan claims; they are documented by Nigeria’s own agencies and international partners.
Electoral “Victories” and Participation Reality
The statement cites APC wins in FCT and state constituencies. Yet Nigeria’s own electoral participation trends show chronically low turnout in many sub-national elections, often in single digits or low percentages of registered voters in recent cases like FCT area council polls. When victories rest on such narrow participation bases, they confer legal mandate but limited sociological enthusiasm. Celebrating them as sweeping endorsements risks overstating democratic consent.
The Insult Problem
The most striking feature of the Morka statement is not its politics but its tone: “jesters,” “confused bunch,” “nuisance rants,” “fringe wanderers.” Such language is not merely impolite; it is institutionally degrading. Ruling parties inherit the voice of the state in public perception. When that voice ridicules opponents, the state itself appears partisan and hostile.
Democracies depend on adversarial respect: parties contest power without denying each other legitimacy. Once the language of contempt becomes normalized, political competition slides toward delegitimization — a dangerous democratic erosion.
War on Terror vs Political Rhetoric
Invoking national security sacrifice to rebut an opposition allegation is rhetorically powerful but logically weak. The bravery of Nigerian troops is unquestioned. But troop sacrifice does not logically prove the innocence of any political actor in a specific local incident. The statement conflates patriotism with partisan defence, an argument structure that does not hold under scrutiny.
The Structural Contradiction
The statement attempts to portray the ADC as irrelevant while dedicating an extensive national rebuttal to it. If the ADC is truly inconsequential, why mobilize the ruling party’s national publicity apparatus against it? The contradiction is revealing: dismissal and alarm cannot coexist coherently.
What Truly Embarrasses
The embarrassment is not that parties disagree — that is democracy. The embarrassment is that Nigeria’s ruling party communicates disagreement through derision, contradiction and unsupported insinuation while simultaneously claiming institutional maturity and national progress.
A governing party sets the tone of political culture. If its official voice abandons restraint, evidence and respect, the entire democratic ecosystem coarsens. Citizens begin to perceive politics as verbal warfare rather than public service. That perception, once entrenched, is difficult to reverse.
Conclusion
Felix Morka’s statement was intended to defend the APC. Instead, it exposed deeper weaknesses: rhetorical hostility, logical inconsistency, evidentiary gaps and institutional tone failure. At a time when Nigeria faces profound socioeconomic and security challenges, citizens expect sobriety from those who govern them.
Nigeria deserves ruling-party communication that reflects the dignity of its people, the gravity of its problems and the maturity of its democracy. Anything less does not merely diminish an opponent. It diminishes the nation.
Mohammed Bello Doka can be reached via [email protected]
Tags
Opinion