The Presidential Campaign Council of the African Democratic Congress (ADC PCC) has accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) of preparing to use violence and intimidation in the 2027 general elections.
It cited a remark by the party’s Edo State Chairman, Jarrett Tenebe, who reportedly said AK-47 rifles would be used against anyone who tries to stop the APC from delivering 2.5 million votes to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The council also condemned a reported attack on ADC members and the destruction of supporters’ vehicles at Gegu, in Koton Karfi Local Government Area of Kogi State.
In a statement on Sunday by the Director, Media and Publicity, ADC PCC, Kola Ologbondiyan, the ADC described both incidents as acts of intimidation and political violence that could undermine the 2027 polls.
The ADC PCC’s Director of Media and Publicity, Kola Ologbondiyan, made the claims in a statement issued on Sunday.
Ologbondiyan called Tenebe’s alleged statement “inciting” and “terroristic,” arguing that it was meant to scare voters and create an atmosphere of fear ahead of the elections.
He said the council had waited for the APC leadership and President Tinubu to condemn the remark or demand a retraction but got no response.
“We are shocked that a state chairman of a ruling party, Mr. Jarrett Tenebe, can stand before the public and threaten Nigerians with AK-47 rifles if they refuse to vote for his party, the APC.
“This is terrorism, and not politics. This is the height of desperation by a party that has failed Nigerians woefully,” he said.
Ologbondiyan further alleged that since President Tinubu’s reported statement that “all is fair in politics,” some APC members had increasingly resorted to intimidation, harassment and violations of the law.
He argued that the APC could not legitimately win 2.5 million votes in Edo State through a free, fair and credible process, describing Edo voters as politically sophisticated and increasingly dissatisfied with what he called hardship and insecurity under the APC administration.
According to him, the threat to use AK-47 rifles against voters violates the Electoral Act and the Constitution and should be investigated by the relevant authorities. He said the alleged statement had reinforced fears that the APC might resort to violence to retain power in 2027.
The council therefore called on the Inspector-General of Police, the Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to invite Tenebe for questioning.
It also appealed to the international community, including the United Nations, European Union, African Union, ECOWAS, the United States and other democratic countries, to monitor developments ahead of the elections and urge the Federal Government and the APC to ensure a peaceful and credible process.
Ologbondiyan said the 2027 election would be “a referendum” on the performance of the APC-led administration, adding that no amount of intimidation would stop Nigerians from exercising their right to vote.
On the Gegu incident, the ADC PCC urged security agencies to identify and prosecute those responsible.
“We call on the members of our Kogi State chapter, particularly in Koton Karfi Local Government, to name everyone they identified in the course of the needless attack,” Ologbondiyan said.
He urged security agencies to investigate the attack thoroughly and ensure that anyone found culpable is brought to justice.
