I’m not sure, but I believe that if you get a PHP error when trying to activate a plugin, then the activation will simply fail.
You could therefore try and enable logging PHP errors to file, by editing wp-config.php: replace the line
define( 'WP_DEBUG', false );
with
define( 'WP_DEBUG', true );
define( 'WP_DEBUG_LOG', true );
You can read more about this in https://www.ads-software.com/support/article/debugging-in-wordpress/
Now, with logging of PHP errors to file (wp-content/debug.log), then attempt activating the plugin, and afterward check the logfile for possible clues.
Just remember to return wp-config.php to non-logging state.