2027: ‘We can’t keep turning the other cheek’ — ADC warns against attacks on members

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By Luminous Jannamike

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ABUJA — The African Democratic Congress, ADC, on Monday warned that opposition members were nearing the limits of their restraint over alleged attacks and intimidation, saying continued failure by security agencies to protect them could push the situation towards self-help and imperil the 2027 general elections.

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The party said it was not asking for special treatment, but demanding that existing laws be enforced so that its members and other Nigerians could organise, campaign and participate in politics without fear of violence.

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It also demanded that the police publicly account for investigations into attacks allegedly carried out against opposition members in several states.

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Speaking at a press conference in Abuja, ADC spokesman, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, said the party had documented incidents involving attacks on political meetings, destruction of party property, assaults and threats against citizens because of their political affiliations between July 2025 and September 2026.

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“We are getting close. We cannot ask our people to continue to turn the other cheek when they are being slapped all the time. We are not pastors or imams, or we are not running a religious organisation. We are running a political party,” Abdullahi said.

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He said the incidents documented by the party occurred in states including Kaduna, Kebbi, Ekiti, Cross River, Rivers, Edo, Osun, Kogi and Enugu, although responsibility had not been conclusively established in every case.

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According to him, the party’s concern was heightened by what it described as a lack of visible conclusions from police investigations into some of the incidents.

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Abdullahi cited the February attack on the ADC secretariat in Benin City, Edo State, during a political gathering, as well as reported gunshots at the residence of former Edo State governor and former APC national chairman, Chief John Odigie Oyegun, where political leaders had gathered.

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He said the Edo State Police Command had confirmed the attack on the secretariat, reported damage at Oyegun’s residence and announced an investigation, but that the party had yet to hear of an arrest, prosecution or public report on the outcome.

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He also alleged that an ADC member, identified as Kamadiyoi, was killed three days before the press conference when party members preparing for a political meeting in Community Ward One, Odua Local Government Area of Rivers State, were attacked.

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“Although this incident has been reported to the police authorities, it does not appear that they are willing to take any action that could bring the perpetrators to justice and prevent future recurrence,” he said.

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Abdullahi further alleged that armed men disrupted an opposition gathering in Enugu around the same period, leaving some participants injured, while attacks on ADC members preparing for meetings in two wards in Kogi State last week allegedly left several members injured.

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He called for investigations into allegations involving both private individuals and security personnel, including claims of complicity in attacks on opposition supporters.

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“What we are saying is that a record of repeated violence against lawful political activity demands serious government response, which we are not seeing. So it’s either government is sanctioning what is happening, or they are saying that they are powerless and incompetent to stop it,” Abdullahi said.

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The ADC spokesman also raised concern over what he described as inflammatory rhetoric by some members of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, saying such statements could worsen political tensions ahead of 2027.

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He referred to remarks attributed to a commissioner, Kosain Abuba, threatening physical punishment against people who refused to support the APC, noting that the commissioner later apologised.

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Abdullahi also cited a reported statement by Kuje Area Council chairman, Danjuma Shekulo, allegedly threatening residents with eviction if they refused to vote for the APC, as well as the controversy surrounding Senator Fadeyi Osun’s remarks in Osun State.

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He said the party was equally concerned about a reported statement by an APC woman leader suggesting that women should divorce husbands who did not support the ruling party.

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“These are not isolated issues that we should sweep under the carpet. They create an environment in which political participation becomes dangerous,” Abdullahi said.

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He accused the government of failing to provide adequate protection for opposition activities, arguing that security arrangements should be examined whenever violence occurs around political meetings, party offices or movements of political leaders.

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“The public should not have to accept that holding a political meeting in Nigeria is an activity for which you need to take a life insurance,” he said.

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The ADC also challenged President Bola Tinubu to clarify his reported statement that “all is fair in politics”, which Abdullahi said had been invoked by some ruling party supporters in justifying aggressive conduct against opposition parties.

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He urged the President to either withdraw the statement or explain its meaning publicly and discourage anyone from interpreting it as authorisation to attack political opponents.

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Addressing the President directly, Abdullahi said, “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.”

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The party, however, said it would not abandon non-violence and would hold its own members to the same standards it was demanding from the ruling party.

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Abdullahi said ADC national chairman, Senator David Mark, had directed candidates and members not to engage in rhetoric capable of aggravating ethnic or religious divisions or promoting violence.

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“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.

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The party said it was maintaining a central record of reported incidents, including dates, locations, witness accounts, photographs, videos, medical documentation and complaints submitted to law enforcement agencies.

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Abdullahi said the records would not be released publicly for now because of the need to protect witnesses and avoid compromising investigations, but would be used in petitions and possible legal proceedings.

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“We are keeping records. We are documenting every single incident,” he said, adding that the party intended to engage the National Human Rights Commission, ECOWAS Community Court of Justice, African Union and other relevant judicial and civil society bodies.

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The ADC also extended its concerns to Nigeria’s international partners, saying the integrity of the 2027 elections should not be judged solely by events on election day.

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Abdullahi said observers should examine whether opposition parties were able to hold meetings, campaign, advertise candidates and access adequate security protection in the months preceding the election.

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He specifically criticised what he described as the dominance of APC posters and billboards across Abuja, arguing that restrictions and high charges for political advertising could affect the ability of opposition parties to campaign.

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“The election is not free and fair if opposition parties cannot campaign freely, if the opposition parties cannot hold their meetings freely, if we cannot advertise our candidates and our political party,” he said.

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He argued that the electoral playing field was already being tilted against opposition parties and said the party would take such circumstances into account when assessing the 2027 election process.

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On the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Abdullahi said the commission had a responsibility to speak out on violence against political parties because the conditions preceding election day formed part of the electoral process.

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“Silence in this case on the side of INEC means complicity,” he said.

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He also warned that the proposed state police system could become a tool for political control if adequate safeguards were not put in place.

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Responding to a question on the issue, Abdullahi said ADC members in the National Assembly were monitoring the process and would announce the party’s position.

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“The argument against state police is not that we don’t need state police to strengthen Nigeria’s security system, it is that the state police can be weaponized against opposition political parties,” he said.

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Asked what responsibility the opposition itself bore for reducing political tension, Abdullahi said ADC had adopted internal rules prohibiting its members from engaging in violence or rhetoric promoting ethnic and religious divisions.

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“What are we asking for? We are asking for the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to be enforced. That’s all we are asking for,” he said.

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On whether ADC would eventually direct its members to defend themselves against attacks, Abdullahi said the party was approaching a critical point but remained committed to preserving peace.

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“We will do whatever it takes to protect the peace. We will do whatever it takes to keep our members under control,” he said.

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He added that continued attacks could make it increasingly difficult for party leaders to persuade members to remain restrained if they believed security agencies were unwilling or unable to protect them.

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The party called on the Inspector-General of Police to provide a public account of the status of investigations into reported political attacks, including cases involving deaths, injuries and destruction of property.

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Abdullahi said ADC would continue to pursue the matter through lawful channels, including petitions, judicial remedies and engagements with national and international institutions.

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The party also called on the APC to condemn attacks on opposition members and reaffirm that political competition must remain within the limits of Nigerian law.

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“We are not asking for any different law or any special arrangement as an opposition political party. We are saying that this election must be governed by rules already provided for in the law and in the Constitution,” Abdullahi said.

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He said ADC would continue documenting incidents as the 2027 elections approached, arguing that the conditions under which parties operate before election day were inseparable from the credibility of the eventual poll.

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