Nigerian national daily The Punch newspaper has officially taken a stand in President Mohammadu Buhari's style of governance. In a lengthy editorial, the newspaper said it would now refer to the President as a Major General, and his tenure would be referred to as a regime.
One of the significant concerns raised by the national daily is the Omoyele Sowore's saga and the way the Department of State Security is handling the issue. This, they say, is a reflection of the President's disregard for human rights and the demeaning of democratic institutions in the country.
According to them, good triumphs over evil when good men fail to do nothing. They accused the current administration of widespread poverty as a result of bad governance.
The Punch looked at many characteristics of the present government, which includes disobedience of court orders, arbitrary detention of citizens, assault on courts, etc. which is a true character of a military regime.
This path towed by The Punch is a tough one, especially in a fragile society where the government could send agencies like the DSS against those who speak out against injustice. The police, the Army, the EFCC and other agencies capable of arrest are always on ground to take orders from the powers that be.
On the fate of The Punch after this revelation, only time will tell. Many Nigerians have speculated that The Punch newspaper would be persecuted sooner than we think.