Politics
APC is ‘merchant of violence’ behind attacks on opposition, ADC-PCC says
The African Democratic Congress Presidential Campaign Council (ADC-PCC) on Friday dismissed as hypocritical and diversionary a statement by the All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council (APCPCC) condemning attacks on opposition parties at political gatherings.
In a statement signed by its Director of Media and Publicity, Kola Ologbondiyan, the ADC-PCC accused the ruling party of nurturing, funding and unleashing political violence across Nigeria since coming to power. It challenged the APC to take responsibility and call its members to order amid what it described as an escalating wave of political violence.
“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. “From Edo to Cross River, from Gombe to Lagos, the pattern is the same: APC thugs disrupt opposition gatherings, attack innocent supporters, destroy campaign materials and then rush to the press to shed crocodile tears.”
The council accused APC governors of institutionalising violence in their states through denial of rally venues, demolition of opposition offices, targeted physical attacks and destruction of opposition vehicles. It also condemned restrictions on posters, billboards and open political activities, including the imposition of prohibitive fees.
It specifically linked the disruption of Thursday’s scheduled town hall meeting of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) in Lagos to APC tactics of intimidation and 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,” the ADC-PCC stated.
While opposition parties continued to engage Nigerians on issues including hunger, insecurity, unemployment, corruption and what it called the collapse of governance under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the council said the APC, with little to offer, had allegedly resorted to violence as its campaign strategy.
It questioned the APC’s sudden concern, recalling alleged attacks on ADC members, including destruction of billboards, disruption of rallies and physical assaults. “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 ADC-PCC called on President Tinubu to heed the counsel of elder statesman Professor Jerry Gana and ensure political activities are conducted in peace, tolerance and democratic freedom. It said the party was compiling a comprehensive record of attacks on its members and would submit reports to relevant international judicial and human rights institutions in due course.
Dismissing the APC’s condemnation as hollow and self-serving, the council urged Nigerians not to be deceived. It reaffirmed the ADC’s commitment to peaceful, issue-based campaigns and declared that neither intimidation nor alleged APC-sponsored violence would deter mobilisation ahead of the 2027 general 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 concluded.
The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has recognised Hon. Oladipupo Ladi Adebutu as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate for the 2027 Ogun State governorship election.
The court, in its ruling on Friday, faulted the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for excluding Adebutu’s name from the final list of candidates released on October 10.
Adebutu and the PDP had approached the court in a suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/2573/2026, challenging INEC’s decision to omit his name from the list.
INEC had defended its action, arguing that Adebutu’s name was missing from the PDP membership register submitted to the commission, as required under Section 77(5)–(7) of the Electoral Act 2026.
The electoral body also claimed that its search of the register returned the name of the party’s deputy governorship candidate, Kolapo Lateefat Oyeyemi, but no matching record for Adebutu.
However, the PDP’s National Organising Secretary, Umar Bature, disputed the claim, insisting that Adebutu’s name was duly captured in the membership records submitted to INEC.
The plaintiffs further argued that the commission’s decision violated provisions of the Electoral Act and Adebutu’s right to fair hearing.
Details shortly…
The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has strongly condemned the violent attack on its supporters in Lagos by suspected political thugs during a town hall meeting held on Thursday, November 12, 2026.
In a press statement signed by Dr. Chiogo Constance Ikokwu, Spokesperson of the NDC National Campaign Council, the party expressed deep sympathy for anyone injured in the attack and wished them a speedy and full recovery. It also extended its thoughts to the victims and their families.
The NDC described the incident as “an unacceptable assault on democracy, citizens’ fundamental rights and the freedom of political association.” The party stressed that no political party or group has a monopoly on Nigeria, and that no one has the right to use violence, intimidation or thuggery to silence opposing voices.
“Nigeria is not a conquered territory, and political participation is not a crime,” the statement said. The NDC demanded an immediate investigation, the arrest and prosecution of those responsible, and an end to the culture of political violence in some states.
The party warned that any calculated attempt to intimidate Nigerians, spread fear or discourage voter turnout ahead of the 2027 elections would fail. It urged citizens to come out in large numbers to exercise their democratic rights and vote for the Obi/Kwankwaso ticket as a peaceful demand for accountable leadership.
“The NDC and its supporters will not be silenced or bullied out of exercising their democratic rights,” the statement concluded.
Pandemonium erupted on Thursday in the Oregun area of Lagos as suspected thugs armed with cudgels, cutlasses and stones invaded the venue of a Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) townhall meeting.
The attackers stormed Classic Event Place (also referred to as Classique Event Centre) along Kudirat Abiola Way around 11 a.m., where supporters had gathered ahead of an address by NDC presidential candidate Peter Obi and his running mate, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso. Neither Obi nor Kwankwaso had arrived at the time of the incident.
Initial panic sent attendees scampering for safety. Some NDC supporters, dressed in blue shirts and white fez caps, quickly regained composure and fought back, hurling chairs at the intruders. They chased the suspected thugs out of the hall and apprehended one at the car park. Voices were heard urging the crowd to “deal with him” as the captive was surrounded and beaten with sticks.
The confrontation spilled onto Kudirat Abiola Way, a major road, forcing motorists to make U-turns and pedestrians to flee. Police later arrived and fired shots into the air (and in some accounts, tear gas) to disperse the crowd and restore order.
Several vehicles belonging to party members were vandalised, with smashed windscreens reported. At least a few supporters sustained injuries. Some accounts from NDC members alleged the attackers numbered over 70 and were linked to rival political interests, though affiliations have not been independently confirmed by authorities.
The disruption occurred amid rising political tensions ahead of the 2027 general elections.
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