Don’t use alleged coup plot to silence opposition, ADC tells FG

From Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has cautioned the Federal Government against using the report of an alleged coup plot as a pretext to clampdown on opposition leaders in the country.

The ADC, in a statement by its Interim National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, said it viewed any threat to Nigeria’s democratic order with utmost seriousness.

The opposition party expressed concern that the government has not made any categorical statement, especially against denial by the military of an alleged coup plot.

Nevertheless, it warned the government against exploiting the situation to “instil fear, silence dissenting voices or engineer political advantage under the guise of national security.”

The ADC noted that it was resolute in its opposition to dictatorship of any form, whether military dictatorship or its civilian variant.

“We, therefore, support any legitimate action that may be taken in defence of our constitution and our democracy. In the same vein, we oppose any ploy by the government to intimidate legitimate voices under the guise of national security.

“While we vehemently oppose any effort to undermine Nigeria’s constitutional order, we are equally concerned about the potential misuse of such allegations to justify political witch-hunts, suppress dissent, or manipulate public sentiment.

“We are particularly concerned about the conflicting signals coming from government sources, especially as the Defence Headquarters has publicly denied ever mentioning a coup plot, despite widespread media reports to the contrary. Such inconsistency raises serious fears that the coup narrative may have been politically engineered.

“What is clear, however, is that the government is exploiting the coup story to divert attention from the real issues of misgovernance in the country and to curry sympathy. Even more significantly, subsequent unattributed media reports purportedly implicating unnamed politicians in the so-called plot now provide a pretext for the government to clamp down on opposition figures or mount undue surveillance on them.

“We understand that the APC government is desperate. But such desperation must never be allowed to endanger our democracy or undermine the democratic rights of citizens.

“The ADC therefore calls on the federal government to immediately clarify the true nature of the alleged coup. Government has a duty to decisively quash the swirling rumour.

“Conversely, if indeed there has been any such threat to national security, the government has a duty to be transparent about it and brief the nation accordingly. Government must desist from weaponising national security as a pretext to silence opposition and political dissent.”