ADC condemns arson attack on its Ekiti Secretariat

• Urges INEC, Civil Society to Intervene

By Lateef Ibrahim, Abuja

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has strongly condemned the arson attack on its Ekiti State Secretariat in Ado-Ekiti, describing it as a deliberate act of political terrorism aimed at silencing opposition voices.

The attack, which occurred just hours before the party’s scheduled Reconfiguration and Affirmation Ceremony, according to a statement by the National Publicity Secretary of the ADC,  Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, is the latest in what the it called a disturbing pattern of violence against its members and infrastructure across the country.

The coalition party in the statement called for an independent investigation, the prosecution of perpetrators, and greater attention from civil society and international observers.

It warned that democracy is under threat if opposition parties continue to be targeted with impunity.

The statement by Abdullahi reads, “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.

“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.

“We therefore call on security agencies to investigate these coordinated acts of aggression.

“We demand the swift prosecution of the perpetrators. And we invite civil society, INEC, and international observers to pay closer attention to the quiet war being waged against the only real opposition party left in Nigeria.

“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”, the ADC declared.