Joke Silva, Obidients and social media regulation

One of the saddest incidents I witnessed last week was the cyberbullying of Nollywood actress, Joke Silva, by Peter Obi supporters, popularly called Obidients.

Her crime? Supporting the presidential ambition of the All Progressives Congress (APC) flag bearer, Bola Tinubu. The last time I checked, we are in a democracy and anyone has the right to support any candidate.

You will weep when you read the hate and bile comments directed at Joke Silva. Some persons were even threatening to kill her and her husband. The same people were calling Patience Ozokwor a hero for supporting Obi.

Joke Silva is one of Nigeria’s leading lights and she deserves to be treated with respect. Her political choice is nobody’s business.

The Obidients need to tone down their anger and cyberbullying on social media. Threatening fire and brimstone against anyone not supporting the candidature of Peter Obi is terrorism. Even Idi Amin’s Uganda had more freedom of speech.

The thing is competence is relative, your definition of competence may be different from mine and I am entitled to my opinion and choices. This cyberterrorism needs to stop.

I remember how Obidients threatened to burn down Femi Kuti’s shrine because of a statement credited to him. At the end of the day, it was discovered he was misquoted.

Recently, all the presidential candidates signed a peace accord but so far it is not working. This has to be the most toxic campaign in the history of the country. The number of hate, anger, and bile is nauseating. When the campaigns are filled with anger and bile, governance will take the same route.

The supporters should not derail their candidate’s goodwill with asinine behaviours on social media. Different people will give you a million reasons why their candidate is the Messiah to take Nigeria to the promised land, it’s their choice, and that’s the essence and beauty of democracy. Threatening to kill and maim people for dissenting views is barbaric.

The 2023 presidential election will be won and lost on the field and not on social media. An average Nigerian doesn’t care who is the president as long as his basic needs are met. The most pressing issues going into the election are insecurity and the economy.

This has again brought to the fore the issue of social media regulation. I agree that there should be some form of social media regulation. Some delinquents and cowards hide behind their phones to abuse and threaten people. On a good day, most of them can’t stand in front of those people they abuse and threaten in real life. There is certainly life after the election and Nigeria will remain.

I insist there should be some social media regulation. We can’t sit and watch some bad eggs burn down the country because of their intolerant behaviour. There should be consequences for bad behaviour.