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

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

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. 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. 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. 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.

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. 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. 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 Are…

African Democratic Congress (ADC) has raised concern over alleged attacks on opposition political parties, political intimidation and threats to citizens ahead of the 2027 general elections. The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, made this known at a news conference on Monday in Abuja, where he presented documented incidents of alleged political violence against the party across some states. Abdullahi said every Nigerian had the right to support a political party of choice, while registered political parties were entitled to organise meetings and conduct lawful activities without intimidation.

He said the government had a responsibility to protect those rights, while the police must enforce the law without regard to political affiliation. He said the party’s memorandum examined incidents reported between July 2025 and September 2026 across Kaduna, Kebbi, Ekiti, Cross River, Rivers, Edo, Osun, Kogi and Enugu states. According to him, the incidents included attacks on political meetings, destruction of party properties, assaults on political participants and threats against citizens over their political preferences.