The African Democratic Congress Presidential Campaign Council (ADC-PCC) has accused President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration of creating an atmosphere of intimidation and violence against opposition parties ahead of the 2027 general election.
This was just as the council declared that President Tinubu would lose the presidential election, insisting that alleged intimidation, political violence and manipulation of democratic institutions would not guarantee his continued stay in office.
It also accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of allegedly manipulating the judiciary and deploying security agencies against opposition parties in an attempt to retain power.
Director of Media and Publicity of the ADC-PCC, Kola Ologbondiyan, made the allegations in a statement in Abuja, expressing concern over what he described as growing attacks on opposition members and supporters across the country.
Ologbondiyan cited the killing of several members of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) in Delta State, allegedly following an attack on the party’s campaign venue by suspected APC thugs.
He said the incident was part of a disturbing pattern of violence targeting opposition parties, particularly members of the ADC, NDC and Allied Peoples Movement (APM), in Kaduna, Kogi, Katsina, Kebbi and Sokoto states.
Describing the incidents as an assault on democratic freedoms, the ADC-PCC spokesman declared, “This is not politics. This is state-sponsored terror against democracy.”
The Council also questioned the preparedness and neutrality of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), alleging that the commission’s voter register database had been compromised and APC sympathisers had been positioned in sensitive offices within the electoral body.
It further alleged that security agencies were being deployed to harass, arrest and intimidate opposition members across the country.
Ologbondiyan expressed particular concern over the alleged involvement of a serving director of a security agency in the APC Presidential Campaign Council as a co-Director of National Security and Intelligence, describing the development as a violation of the law establishing the agency.
He argued that the alleged deployment of state institutions against political opponents showed an administration more concerned with retaining power than allowing a credible electoral contest.
“One thing is now very clear to all Nigerians: Tinubu is not preparing for an election. He is preparing for a coronation,” he said.
The ADC-PCC maintained that alleged manipulation of judicial processes and electoral institutions would not guarantee President Tinubu’s re-election, warning that Nigerians would resist any attempt to impose a president through what it described as compromised judicial decisions or electoral fraud.
It urged Nigerians to remain vigilant and prepare to defend their votes, democratic rights and constitutional freedoms ahead of the 2027 general election.
The Council also called on the international community, civil society organisations, religious leaders and traditional institutions to pay closer attention to what it described as the deteriorating political and security situation in the country.
It warned that silence in the face of alleged political violence could embolden those undermining democratic institutions.
The ADC-PCC further appealed to security agencies to remain politically neutral, stressing that their loyalty should be to the Constitution and the Nigerian people rather than any political party or individual.
“Those who allow themselves to be used as tools of oppression today will answer for their actions tomorrow,” Ologbondiyan warned.
The Council insisted that the 2027 presidential election must reflect the genuine will of Nigerians, declaring that no amount of intimidation, violence or alleged institutional manipulation would prevent voters from determining the country’s political future.