ADC condemns attack on PDP headquarters, says democracy is under threat

The African Democratic Congress, ADC, has denounced the violent invasion of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, national secretariat in Abuja, describing it as a disturbing assault on Nigeria’s democracy and a worrying sign of creeping authoritarianism.

In a statement issued on Tuesday and signed by its national publicity secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the party accused senior figures in the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, of deploying armed men to forcefully take over the opposition party’s headquarters on 14 November.

It described the move as part of what it sees as a broader strategy by the government to weaken multiparty politics.

The ADC statement expressed alarm that the Bola Tinubu administration was “sending a chilling message” through the use of force in partisan disputes. It warned that if such methods were allowed to stand, no organisation would be safe, including unions, media groups and student bodies.

The party dismissed any suggestion that the matter should concern only the PDP, arguing that the attack had implications for the integrity of the 2027 elections and the future of democratic freedoms in the country.

It characterised the incident as a new low in what it called a pattern of anti-democratic behaviour by the federal authorities.

The ADC urged Nigerians and international partners to take note of what it described as a dangerous escalation.

It also called for an independent investigation into the role of the police and other security agencies in the operation and asked President Bola Tinubu to rein in political actors before the situation deteriorates further.

The party’s reaction followed the detailed statement it released earlier in the day, in which it warned that the attack on the PDP headquarters represented a direct threat to civil liberties and amounted to “another episode in the ruling party’s insidious effort to destabilise opposition parties.”