The African Democratic Congress Presidential Campaign Council (ADC PCC) has accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) of using threats and intimidation ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The council was reacting to an alleged threat by Edo State APC Chairman, Jarrett Tenebe, to use AK-47 rifles against anyone who tries to prevent the party from achieving its target of 2.5 million votes for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election.
The ADC PCC also condemned the reported attack on its members and the destruction of vehicles belonging to party supporters at Gegu in Koton Karfi Local Government Area of Kogi State.
In a statement issued on Sunday, the council’s Director of Media and Publicity, Kola Ologbondiyan, said the alleged threat and the Kogi incident were forms of intimidation and political violence that could undermine the 2027 elections.
Ologbondiyan described Tenebe’s alleged comment as “inciting” and “terroristic”, saying it could create fear among voters.
“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,” Ologbondiyan said.
He said the ADC PCC had expected APC leaders and President Tinubu to condemn the alleged statement or demand its withdrawal, but claimed that no such response had come.
Ologbondiyan also alleged that some APC members had increasingly used intimidation, harassment and other unlawful tactics following President Tinubu’s reported statement that “all is fair in politics.”
He questioned how the APC could secure 2.5 million votes in Edo State through a free and credible election, describing voters in the state as politically sophisticated and increasingly unhappy with what he called hardship and insecurity under the APC government.
The ADC PCC said the alleged threat to use AK-47 rifles against voters should be investigated as a possible violation of the Electoral Act and the Constitution.
The council 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 and the United States, to monitor developments ahead of the 2027 election and encourage the Federal Government and 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 intimidation would not prevent Nigerians from exercising their constitutional right to vote.
On the reported attack on ADC members at Gegu in Koton Karfi, the council 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 called for a thorough investigation of the incident and urged authorities to ensure that anyone found responsible was brought to justice.
