Political Violence: Tinubu, Obi Condemn Attacks, ADC-PCC Threatens International Litigation

*President urges security agencies to confront anti-democratic agents *Charges fellow politicians to shun violence *NDC presidential candidate vows to protect votes, says party will deploy agents from polling units to collation centres in 2027 *Council threatens to report alleged attacks on its members to international judicial and human rights institutions Deji Elumoye, Chuks Okocha and Sunday Aborisade in Abuja President Bola Tinubu yesterday condemned political violence associated with political parties’ campaigns in parts of the country, mandating security agencies to confront thuggery and other anti-social and anti-democratic activities with full force.Similarly, the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr. Peter Obi, condemned the attack on his supporters during the party’s town hall meeting in Lagos on Thursday, vowing that the party would protect its votes in the 2027 general election and ensure that the electoral process was monitored from polling units to final collation. Equally, the African Democratic Congress Presidential Campaign Council (ADC-PCC) yesterday threatened to report alleged attacks on its members to international judicial and human rights institutions, accusing the All Progressives Congress (APC) of promoting political violence against opposition parties.The President, in a statement issued yesterday, warned that his administration would not tolerate any irresponsible conduct by politicians and their supporters. Tinubu charged his fellow politicians to shun violence, adding that campaigns ahead of the 2027 general elections must revolve around issues that promote the welfare of Nigerians.The President, in a 10-paragraph statement, stated, inter alia: “I have followed recent reports of violence accompanying political events in different parts of the country.“Every form of violence stands condemned. Violence should never have a place in our political campaigns as we move toward the 2027 general elections. “Our campaigns should be about issues, a contestation of ideas that promote the welfare of our people and the progress of our country.“As the leader of this country, I commit myself to a peaceful, free, and fair election, and I urge political leaders and supporters across party lines to conduct themselves responsibly. “I have said that being in different political parties or pursuing different ambitions does not make us enemies.“As Nigerians, we are members of the same household living in different rooms. Therefore, our politics must elevate human conditions and focus on national progress and development.“I want to reiterate my previous directive to the security agencies: be strict and firm against anyone who seeks to test our resolve and will to preserve public order. “Our administration is committed to an orderly and peaceful election, and all political parties and candidates should be protected and free to campaign anywhere in the country without molestation or fear for their safety.“We shall not tolerate any irresponsible conduct by politicians and their supporters.“Security agencies are therefore authorised to confront thuggery and other anti-social and anti-democratic activities with full force.” Obi Vows to Protect 2027 Votes Obi, who disclosed that suspected political thugs had mobilised to attack participants at the meeting in Oregun, Lagos, said political actors encouraging violence against opposition supporters were endangering the country’s democratic process.He, however, vowed that the NDC and its supporters would remain law-abiding despite provocations, insisting that violence would neither intimidate the party nor discourage Nigerians from participating in democratic activities. This was contained in a statement Obi posted on his X handle yesterday, after the Lagos incident.Obi declared: “The political violence being enabled by certain political actors against our supporters is an ill wind that blows no one any good. Anarchy consumes everyone. “We will remain law-abiding, even in the face of extreme provocation.”The former Anambra State governor also used the occasion to reaffirm the party’s commitment to protecting the integrity of forthcoming elections, stressing that electoral vigilance must extend beyond voting at polling units to the various stages of collation and declaration of results. He said protecting the electoral process was a collective responsibility that required the active participation of political parties, their agents and citizens.He said, “On the forthcoming elections, I remind participants that protecting the integrity of the electoral process is a shared responsibility.“Every effort must be made to ensure that votes are properly protected, from the polling unit through ward collation to the final collation and declaration of results,” he stated.Obi added that the NDC would discharge its own responsibility by deploying competent party agents to polling units to monitor proceedings and document the electoral process.“Our party, the NDC, will also fulfil the responsibility to deploy competent agents to polling units to observe and document the process,” he said.Recounting his activities in Lagos, Obi explained that he arrived from Abuja on Thursday to attend the commendation service of his late elder brother, Chief Sir Okey Ezibe, at Our Saviour’s Church, Tafawa Balewa Square, Lagos.He said the service formed part of activities preceding the funeral of Ezibe, whom he described as a distinguished businessman and people-builder. According to him, he proceeded to Oregun after the service to participate in the Lagos edition of the NDC’s ongoing nationwide town hall meetings.Obi disclosed that he had received information before arriving at the venue that a group of suspected thugs had mobilised to attack participants who arrived early for the meeting.Despite the reported threat and disruption surrounding the gathering, he said the organisers proceeded with the engagement, during which participants raised concerns about the country’s economic and security challenges and the need to strengthen democratic institutions. “Despite the disruption and the concerns surrounding the event, we proceeded with our town hall meeting,” he said.He explained that the interactive session provided an opportunity for Nigerians to express their concerns about the country’s economic difficulties, rising cost of living, corruption, insecurity and the welfare of vulnerable citizens. “As usual, participants raised important questions and concerns about reviving the economy, reducing the high cost of living, tackling endemic corruption, addressing insecurity, caring for vulnerable citizens, and protecting the integrity of our elections,” Obi stated.Addressing the gathering, the former governor said the primary responsibility of any government was to guarantee the security of citizens and unite the country around a common national purpose. He argued that national development would remain difficult to achieve without security, social cohesion and deliberate policies aimed at improving the living conditions of ordinary Nigerians.“In my remarks, I emphasised that the first responsibility of any government is to secure the country and unite its people around a shared purpose,” he said. Obi also outlined what he described as the NDC’s commitment to policies designed to reduce the cost of living, improve citizens’ welfare and prioritise investment in critical sectors of the economy.He specifically identified healthcare and education as essential areas requiring aggressive investment, alongside policies to tackle poverty and provide support for vulnerable Nigerians. “I also outlined our commitment to policies that will reduce the cost of living, improve the welfare of Nigerians, and aggressively invest in critical areas of development, particularly healthcare and education, while addressing poverty and the needs of vulnerable citizens,” he added. On the reported attack, Obi urged party supporters and other Nigerians not to resort to violence, irrespective of the level of provocation they might encounter during political activities.He maintained that defending democratic rights did not require the use of violence, urging supporters to remain peaceful while staying alert to attempts to undermine their participation in the electoral process. ADC-PCC Accuses APC of Promoting Political Violence Meanwhile, in a statement signed by its Director of Media and Publicity, Kola Ologbondiyan, the ADC-PCC challenged the ruling party to take responsibility for its actions and call its members to order over what it described as the escalating wave of political violence across the country. The council insisted that neither the APC nor the Bola Tinubu administration could escape responsibility for the climate of political violence threatening Nigeria’s democracy, accusing the ruling party of attempting to divert public attention from its alleged complicity through a hypocritical show of concern.According to the ADC-PCC, the APC, and not the opposition, is promoting and encouraging political violence across the country.“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.“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 ADC-PCC further accused APC governors of institutionalising political violence in their respective states through the denial of rally venues to opposition parties, demolition of opposition offices, targeted physical attacks and destruction of vehicles belonging to opposition members. It also condemned what it described as the deliberate suffocation of opposition campaigns through restrictions on the display of party posters, erection of candidates’ billboards and organisation of open political activities, including the imposition of prohibitive and unattainable fees. The council specifically linked the disruption of Thursday’s scheduled town hall meeting of the NDC in Lagos to what it alleged was the APC’s established tactics of intimidation and political 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 maintained that while opposition parties had continued to engage Nigerians on critical national issues, including hunger, insecurity, unemployment, corruption and what it described as the collapse of governance under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the APC, having little to offer Nigerians, had allegedly resorted to violence as its campaign strategy. It questioned the sudden concern expressed by the APC-PCC, recalling several alleged attacks on ADC members and supporters, including the destruction of party billboards, disruption of rallies and physical assaults on its members.“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 council called on President Tinubu to heed the counsel of elder statesman, Professor Jerry Gana, and demonstrate the leadership expected of a President by ensuring that political activities are conducted in an atmosphere of peace, tolerance and democratic freedom.It disclosed that the ADC was compiling a comprehensive record of attacks allegedly suffered by its members, adding that the party would, in due course, submit appropriate reports to relevant international judicial and human rights institutions. The ADC-PCC consequently dismissed the APC’s condemnation as hollow and self-serving, urging Nigerians not to be deceived by what it described as the ruling party’s attempt to distance itself from the prevailing climate of political violence.Reaffirming its commitment to peaceful and issue-based campaigns, the council declared that neither intimidation nor alleged APC-sponsored violence would deter the ADC from mobilising Nigerians 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.”