ADC raises alarm over attacks on opposition

From Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has raised the alarm over what it described as escalating attacks on opposition politicians across the country, warning that unchecked political violence could undermine the 2027 general election.

The opposition party also challenged President Bola Tinubu to clarify or withdraw his recent statement that “all is fair in politics,” alleging that some members of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) were using the remark to justify attacks on political opponents.

ADC National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, who spoke at a press briefing in Abuja on Monday, said incidents involving opposition politicians had been reported in Kaduna, Kebbi, Ekiti, Cross River, Rivers, Edo, Osun, Kogi and Enugu states.

He expressed concern over what he described as the failure of security agencies to bring perpetrators to justice, and demanded that the Inspector-General of Police provide an update on investigations into the incidents.

Abdullahi said Tinubu, as president and Commander-in-Chief, had a responsibility to protect Nigerians irrespective of their political affiliations.

“We ask you to come out and say that your statement that your members are now using to justify violence was made in error.

“You need to withdraw that statement, or at least clarify it, because you have a duty,” he said.

Abdullahi cited the February attack on the ADC secretariat in Benin City and the residence of former Edo State governor and former APC national chairman, John Odigie-Oyegun.

Edo State Police Command confirmed the attack at the time, reported damage at Odigie-Oyegun’s residence and ordered an investigation.

“Since February, nothing has happened: no arrest, no prosecution, and no report of what actually happened in the course of the investigation by the police.”

“As we move closer to the elections, the situation of political violence against opposition political party members has grown even worse.”

Abdullahi demanded that the police make public the outcome of investigations into attacks on opposition politicians.

“Where they have promised us that they are investigating, it is about time we know the results of those investigations.

“We therefore call on the Inspector-General of Police to provide appropriate public accounts of the status of these investigations.

“People have been killed, people have been maimed, properties have been burned and destroyed. Police say they are investigating, so we want to know the status of the investigations they have conducted,” he said.

The ADC spokesman said opposition parties had a constitutional right to organise meetings, campaign and undertake other lawful political activities without intimidation.

“The Nigerian Police is not APC police; it is the police of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” he said.

“Every registered political party has the right to organise, hold meetings and conduct its lawful activities. The government has a responsibility to protect those rights, and the police have a duty to enforce the law without regard to political affiliation.”

Abdullahi warned that failure to halt the attacks could threaten the credibility and conduct of the 2027 polls.

He called on Tinubu to publicly condemn political violence and direct members of the ruling party to respect the rights of opposition parties.

“Mr President, the authority of your office confers on you responsibility to protect every citizen, regardless of whether they support you or not, regardless of whether they vote for you or not.”

“You need to come out to say you actually did not incite violence; that your statement was taken out of context, or find anything to say to discourage your members from thinking that they are acting on your behalf.”

Abdullahi said Nigeria’s political history showed the danger of allowing politically motivated violence to escalate ahead of elections.

“You have to stop this, Mr President. You have to stop this. The APC has to take responsibility. They have to come out clearly and condemn what is going on and stop this attack on our members and opposition generally,” he said.

The ADC spokesman said the party remained committed to non-violence but would not continue to accept attacks on its members.

“We stand for non-violence. We have said that we will not support violence in whatever form. We have told our candidates to avoid any form of rhetoric that is likely to incite violence, but we cannot control how people will respond when they are being attacked,” he said.

Abdullahi said the party would document incidents, submit petitions to relevant authorities and seek judicial remedies where necessary.

He added that the ADC would engage the National Human Rights Commission, ECOWAS institutions, African Union bodies, relevant judicial institutions and civil society organisations over the incidents.

“We will submit appropriate petitions to the responsible authorities and seek judicial remedies where the circumstances justify them.

“We will also ensure that advance security requests for lawful political activities are properly documented, so that questions concerning notification responsibilities and the response of security agencies can be resolved by reference to reliable records,” he said.

The APC had previously rejected allegations that it was behind the February violence in Edo, describing the ADC’s accusations as baseless and calling for a thorough police investigation into the incident.