The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has accused the Tinubu-led administration of deliberately fabricating narratives to target opposition voices, describing recent allegations of a plot to unseat the government as baseless and dangerous.
In a strongly worded statement released Wednesday, the party said the claim made by Tinubu’s media aide, Bayo Onanuga, that the opposition is plotting to overthrow the government before 2027 is nothing but a pretext to intimidate critics and undermine democratic participation.
The party’s National Publicity Secretary and spokesperson for the opposition coalition, Bolaji Abdullahi, said, “Bayo Onanuga’s tweet is a textbook example of a political dog whistle. The APC-led federal government appears to be constructing a false narrative that is designed to justify a potential clampdown on dissent and to criminalize legitimate opposition activity under the guise of national security.”
The party insisted its goal is not to derail democracy but to challenge what it described as “the irredeemable incompetence” of Tinubu’s government through democratic means.
“The ADC is not interested in truncating democracy; we are solely committed to saving the nation from the irredeemable incompetence of this government. And the only means available to us are democratic means. We are not soldiers; we are politicians. We don’t have bullets; we only have the ballots.”
Coming just a week after the unveiling of the new opposition coalition in Abuja, the ADC fears the government’s recent posture signals a wider strategy of repression against perceived enemies. “We are left to wonder why the APC government is so jittery that it is so eager to betray its own heritage. APC is the first opposition party to come to power in Nigeria. It is therefore a great wonder that the same party now appears to find it strange that there is an opposition at all.”
READ MORE: Tinubu Regime Desperate, Afraid of ADC Coalition—Atiku Fires Back at Propaganda Reports
The ADC called on Tinubu to rein in his aides and urged Nigerians to remain vigilant and reject efforts to delegitimize political opponents. “We therefore call on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to promptly caution his aides from further baseless but dangerous allegations that have the potential to heat up the system even two years ahead of the next election. This manner of crying wolf where there is none, does not make the president look good and only betrays a sense of panic.”
“We also call on the Nigerian people to be vigilant and discerning and to reject the underhanded tactics being deployed to delegitimize the opposition and silence alternative voices.”
The party appealed to the international community to keep close watch on the unfolding political climate and hold the Nigerian government accountable if opposition rights are threatened. “We urge the international community, democratic governments all over the world, international observers, and human rights organizations to closely monitor the unfolding political environment in Nigeria. We call on them to hold the Tinubu administration accountable for any actions that undermine democratic freedoms or violate the political rights of Nigerian citizens.”
The ADC reaffirmed its commitment to peaceful democratic engagement, saying it will stay focused on offering solutions and seeking power through the ballot, not violence.
Follow the Parallel Facts channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaCQSAoHgZWiDjR3Kn2E
