The tightrope of opposition politics in Nigeria

The views expressed in this article are those of this guest author and do not reflect the views of Stears.
 

On the 10th of April 1826, during a debate in the British Parliament, a phrase entered into the political lexicon. This phrase captured an idea that people had been struggling with—how does the opposition in parliament conduct itself in a way that is beneficial to the country? If the opposition was too supportive of the government, the country gained nothing from such a corrupting type of loyalty. If the opposition was too antagonistic, however, it risked being viewed as seditious (back then, the idea was not as well established as it is now, so the idea of sedition was not far-fetched) and plotting to bring down the government.

So, on that fine day in April 1826, in a debate about a matter that is now long forgotten, Sir John Hobhouse