The African Democratic Congress Presidential Campaign Council (ADC-PCC) has dismissed the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) condemnation of attacks on political rallies as hypocritical and diversionary.
It challenged the APC to call its members to order rather than pretending to distance itself from the violence.
In a statement on Friday, the ADC-PCC accused the APC of sponsoring political violence nationwide, insisting President Bola Tinubu’s administration cannot escape blame for the growing attacks on opposition parties.
Its Director of Media and Publicity, Kola Ologbondiyan, who signed the statement alleged that the APC had nurtured and encouraged violence against opposition parties since assuming power, accusing its members of disrupting political activities, attacking supporters and destroying campaign materials.
It cited reported incidents in Edo, Cross River, Gombe and Lagos, alleging that the attacks followed a recurring pattern in which opposition gatherings were disrupted by suspected ruling party loyalists, while the APC subsequently issued public condemnations.
“The APC cannot pretend to be a victim of the very violence it has nurtured, funded and unleashed on Nigerians since it came to power,” the statement said.
It further accused APC governors of institutionalising political intimidation in their respective states through the denial of rally venues to opposition parties, demolition of opposition offices, physical attacks on party members and destruction of vehicles belonging to opposition supporters.
The ADC-PCC also alleged that the ruling party was deliberately frustrating opposition campaigns by restricting the display of party posters, erection of candidates’ billboards and organisation of public political activities.
According to the council, some of the restrictions included the imposition of what it described as prohibitive and unattainable fees designed to prevent opposition parties from effectively reaching voters.
It specifically linked the disruption of Thursday’s scheduled town hall meeting of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) in Lagos to what it called the APC’s alleged strategy of intimidation and political sabotage.
“The disruption of Thursday’s scheduled town hall meeting of the Nigeria Democratic Congress in Lagos bears the unmistakable fingerprints of the APC. It is the same old script: orchestrate violence, intimidate the opposition, disrupt their activities and then issue public condemnations to cover up,” it alleged.
The council argued that while opposition parties were engaging Nigerians on pressing national challenges, including hunger, insecurity, unemployment, corruption and what it described as the failure of governance under President Tinubu, the ruling party had allegedly resorted to violence because it lacked convincing answers to the country’s problems.
It also questioned the APC-PCC’s sudden expression of concern over political violence, recalling alleged attacks on ADC members and supporters, including the destruction of party billboards, disruption of rallies and physical assaults on its members.
“Where was the APC’s condemnation when our billboards were destroyed, our rallies disrupted and our members brutalised? Their sudden concern is not about peace; it is about diverting attention from their own atrocities,” the statement added.
The ADC-PCC implored President Tinubu to heed the advice of elder statesman, Professor Jerry Gana, and demonstrate the leadership required to guarantee an atmosphere of peace, tolerance and democratic freedom ahead of the 2027 general elections.
It also disclosed that the party was compiling a comprehensive record of alleged attacks against its members and supporters, adding that the documentation would eventually be submitted to relevant international judicial and human rights institutions.
The council consequently described the APC-PCC’s condemnation of political violence as hollow and self-serving, urging Nigerians not to be swayed by what it characterised as the ruling party’s attempt to evade responsibility.
Reaffirming its commitment to peaceful and issue-based campaigns, the ADC-PCC declared that alleged intimidation and attacks would not derail its mobilisation efforts ahead of the 2027 elections.
“The ADC remains committed to a peaceful, issue-based campaign. We will not be intimidated. We will not be silenced. No amount of APC-sponsored violence will stop Nigerians from voting for competence, integrity and a new beginning in 2027,” the statement added.
