We Can’t Keep Turning the Other Cheek, ADC Warns against Attacks on Members
Chuks Okocha in Abuja
The African Democratic Congress (ADC), has 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 election.
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 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.
He said the incidents documented by the party occurred in states like 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 Area of Rivers State, were attacked.
“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.
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.
He called for investigations into allegations involving both private individuals and security personnel, including claims of complicity in attacks on opposition supporters.