The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has condemned the arson attack on its secretariat in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State, describing it as a deliberate act of political terrorism aimed at silencing opposition voices.
The party also called on the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC and Civil society organisations to prevail on the authorities to stop the attacks.
Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, National Publicity of the party, said the attack, which occurred just hours before the party’s scheduled Reconfiguration and Affirmation Ceremony, is the latest in the disturbing pattern of violence against ADC members and infrastructure across the country.
The spokesman in the statement called for an independent investigation and the prosecution of perpetrators, warning that democracy is under threat if opposition parties continue to be targeted with impunity.
“In the early hours of Monday, 21st October, while most of Ado-Ekiti was still asleep, unknown assailants set fire to the building housing the African Democratic Congress (ADC) State Secretariat. This was a deliberate act of arson intended to sabotage and terrorise the opposition ahead of the Governorship election in the State. The ADC condemns this barbaric act in the strongest possible terms. It is criminal, anti-democratic, and a disgrace to all who claim to believe in political freedom.”
“This attack came on a day when the ADC in Ekiti had planned a quiet but significant event, the Reconfiguration and Affirmation Ceremony of our Ward, Local Government, Senatorial, and State Executives. It was to be a renewal of commitment, a reaffirmation of values, and a consolidation of our structure.
“Quite significantly, we note that this latest incident in Ekiti is only a continuation of serial attacks on our party members and infrastructure across parts of the country. Since the Opposition Coalition unveiled the ADC as its party of choice in July, our members and structures nationwide have faced a pattern of orchestrated aggression that should alarm every citizen who believes in the freedom to choose,” Abdullahi said.
Listing the attacks against its members across the country, the party vowed not to relent.
“In Kaduna, on August 30, some of our party leaders were attacked when an inauguration event was violently disrupted. In Lagos, our leaders were attacked in Alimosho. In Kebbi, the convoy of our leaders came under attack in Birnin Kebbi in early September. And in Kogi, our party secretariat in Dekina was targeted. Let us not forget Edo State, where the sitting Governor has issued thinly veiled threats to our members.”
“Each of these cases, on its own, could be dismissed as the unfortunate actions of political miscreants. But taken together, five states, multiple incidents, a consistent target, they form a pattern too dangerous to ignore. This is no longer about partisanship. It is about the integrity of the political process itself.
“What is especially troubling is the silence that follows these acts. Where is the outrage from those who claim to be custodians of our democracy? A system that looks away while opposition parties are violently suppressed is a system begging for crisis.
“Nevertheless, we want the world to know: we are not victims. We are builders of a future that offers an alternative. We are being attacked because our message is resonating with the everyday Nigerian who is tired of the failures of the APC-led administration. Because our structures are growing, because the APC can feel the ground shifting beneath them, they continue to attack us. The fire in Ekiti is further confirmation that the APC is afraid of the rising wave of the ADC.
“Despite the ashes, our Affirmation Ceremony in Ekiti will still proceed, whether in a hall or under a tree. And to those who think violence will deter us, we have only this to say, the ADC is not going away. We will continue to build. We will continue to organise. And come election day, we will remind the nation that those who resort to fire do so only when they have run out of arguments.”
