Precious Nwonu, Enugu
The African Democratic Congress has condemned an alleged attack on its members in Kaduna State, warning that the use of violence and thuggery in political activities could escalate ahead of the 2027 elections.
The party said the incident was an unacceptable development, particularly as political activities for the 2027 elections were beginning to gather momentum.
In a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC warned political actors against introducing violence into the electoral process.
Abdullahi said no political party should assume that it had exclusive control over non-state-sponsored violence, warning that the consequences could become difficult to contain once violence was normalised as a tool of political competition.
“Let nobody mistake our commitment to peaceful democratic participation for weakness. No political party has a monopoly on non-state sanctioned violence. Once violence becomes an accepted instrument of political competition, nobody can predict where it ends,” he said.
The party called on security agencies to investigate the incident and ensure that those responsible, including anyone who may have sponsored or organised the attack, were identified and prosecuted.
ADC also expressed solidarity with its Kaduna governorship candidate, Isa Ashiru, and other party members affected by the incident.
The party urged the Kaduna State Government to take steps to guarantee the safety of opposition parties and their members across the state.
Abdullahi insisted that the alleged attack would not prevent the party from participating in political activities across Kaduna.
“Kaduna belongs to its people, not to any party. If anyone believes intimidation will frighten the ADC off the political field, they have badly miscalculated,” he said.
“We will not be intimidated. We will organise, we will campaign, and we will compete in every part of Kaduna State. The 2027 elections must be decided by ideas competing at the ballot box, not by thugs and bruises,” he added.
The ADC urged political stakeholders and security agencies to ensure that the 2027 electoral process remained peaceful and focused on issues and competing policy ideas rather than violence and intimidation.