• Enugu opposition parties allege hostilities against them • State govt denies link to airport attacks on NDC campaign

The Obidient Movement has accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) of allegedly unleashing violence against opposition supporters across Nigeria.
 
The movement, however, warned that the failure of security agencies to hold suspected perpetrators accountable could push the country towards anarchy ahead of the 2027 general elections. The movement cited reported attacks in Enugu, Edo, Delta and Benue states, accusing security agencies of turning a blind eye to alleged political intimidation.
 
In a statement yesterday by Onyeka Dike for the Media and Communications Directorate, the movement accused the police and the Department of State Services (DSS) of failing to act decisively against suspected political thugs.
 
The APC and the security agencies had not responded to the allegations at the time of filing this report. The group’s warning followed reported violence in Enugu State at the weekend, when suspected armed political thugs allegedly disrupted activities of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) with gunshots.
 
The statement said several supporters were injured, while one fatality was reportedly recorded. It alleged that the attackers followed NDC supporters from the airport to the party’s campaign office.
 
The movement also cited footage published by Premium Times, which, it said, showed a uniformed security operative standing by as a supporter was being assaulted.
 
It described the alleged failure to intervene as troubling, warning that inaction could embolden political actors to attack opposition supporters with impunity.

Meanwhile, opposition political parties and their candidates, yesterday, detailed a disturbing pattern of hostility across Enugu State allegedly against them ahead of the 2027 general elections.
 
Addressing a joint press briefing in Enugu, leaders of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Nigeria NDC and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Labour Party (LP), and All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) condemned brutal assaults, harassment, targeted office raids, and intimidation directed against them by state officials.
 
“We have not convened this joint press briefing to promote the PDP, the NDC, or any individual candidate. We stand together because political violence in Enugu has moved beyond an isolated party grievance. It is now an escalating threat to peaceful democratic competition, public safety and the constitutional rights of Ndi Enugu,” they said.
 
They highlighted last weekend’s alleged attack at Akanu Ibiam International Airport and the campaign office of the NDC’s governorship candidate, Chinyeaka Ohaa, ward meetings of the PDP in Nkanu West and reception of the Deputy Governorship candidate of the PDP in Nsukka, among others, as part of the ploy.
 
The group also faulted allegations of importation of thugs levelled against them by the state government, and challenged the government to provide details of the intelligence.
 
They asked the state government to suspend alleged coercive enforcement of the disputed campaign- advertising regime against political premises and publish transparent, affordable and non-discriminatory rules consistent with constitutional freedoms and court orders.
 
They urged the Inspector General of Police to constitute an independent investigation team, drawn substantially from outside Enugu State Command, to investigate attacks so far on opposition parties and their candidates in the state.

However, the Enugu State government, while alleging a plot by some opposition elements to procure services of armed thugs and bandits to create panic and insecurity in the exercise, denied a link to last weekend’s attack on the campaign flag off of the NDC at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport (AIIA) and the party’s Enugu State Office at Government Reserved Area GRA, Enugu, saying there was no truth in the matter.

The government also condemned any form of violence, saying it rather welcomed healthy debate, freedom of association and peaceful assembly.
 
Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Chidiebere Onyia, said that the peace and security achieved in the last three years remain non-negotiable and irreversible.

Exonerating the state government from the attacks, he stated that the airport incident was purely a matter between the NDC and federal authorities.