The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has raised alarm, accusing President Bola Tinubu’s administration of orchestrating a covert plot to dismantle Nigeria’s growing opposition movement through intimidation, coercion, and manipulation.
In a statement released on Monday, the party’s Interim National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, alleged that former state chairmen and senior executives of the ADC from the North East and North West were secretly summoned by top officials of the Federal Government. The meeting, according to the party, was not convened for national security or peacebuilding, but for a far more sinister purpose.
“This is not politics as usual. This is outright sabotage,” Abdullahi declared, alleging that the intention behind the covert engagements is to fracture the opposition from within by targeting key figures and attempting to buy their loyalty. The ADC claimed to have received credible intelligence confirming that the strategy is designed to sow internal discord, delegitimize its newly unveiled leadership, and derail the momentum it has gained as the emerging face of the opposition in Nigeria.
The party accused the Tinubu government of abandoning its democratic responsibilities and instead weaponizing state power to crush dissent and entrench a one-party regime. “This backdoor romance with ADC state chairpersons by federal appointees, who should be focused on the country’s worsening security situation, is a direct attack on Nigeria’s fragile multiparty democracy,” the statement read. “This is how one-party dictatorships are born—through systematic intimidation.”
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The ADC referenced the July 1st Coalition Declaration and the subsequent July 2nd unveiling of its revitalized party structure as the catalysts that have “rattled” the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). According to the ADC, these developments signaled a credible threat to the APC’s dominance, prompting the administration’s alleged underhanded tactics.
“The truth is clear: the Tinubu administration, having lost the trust of ordinary Nigerians, is terrified by the unity and strength of a legitimate opposition front. Rather than self-correct, they have returned to their old script—disrupt, divide, and dominate.”
In a direct message to President Tinubu, the ADC called for an immediate halt to what it described as “sinister moves” by members of his inner circle. “The president must call his appointees to order. If the Goodluck Jonathan administration had shown such hostility to opposition, the APC would never have risen to power, and Bola Tinubu would not be president today,” the party noted.
Declaring that the coalition movement is “an idea whose time has come,” the ADC vowed to resist any effort to derail the will of the people. “This party is not just a political vehicle; it is a voice for every Nigerian who has been betrayed by false promises, economic hardship, and democratic decay. We will use every legitimate and democratic tool to ensure Nigeria does not descend into a one-party autocracy.” he stated.