Get Guardian on Google• Ojudu flays attack on Sowore, says opposition can’t justify violence
• Katsina govt clarifies on Yankara incident, urges calm
THE African Democratic Congress Presidential Campaign Council (ADC-PCC) has said that the coordinated and state-sponsored assault on democracy, freedom of association, and the constitutional right of Nigerians to political participation under President Bola Tinubu will fail.
Relatedly, former senator representing Ekiti Central and former Special Adviser to ex-President Muhammadu Buhari on Political Matters, Babafemi Ojudu, condemned the attack on activist and African Action Congress (AAC) presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, in Ekiti State, saying political disagreement must never be used to justify violence.
Meanwhile, the Katsina State Government has clarified an incident in Yankara, Faskari Local Council, where some campaign vehicles belonging to the ruling APC were set ablaze by a mob.
The ADC-PCC said the unfolding incidents across the country went beyond ordinary political rivalry, alleging that they represented a disturbing pattern of intimidation, harassment and suppression of opposition voices.
“These are calculated atrocious actions skewed to scare Nigerians ahead of the general elections,” it alleged.
In a statement signed by its Director of Media and Publicity, Kola Ologbondiyan, the council recalled a series of incidents, including attacks on its leaders and members in Kaduna, the reported assault on its Sokoto State governorship candidate, Munir Iya, by operatives of the Sokoto Marshals along Airport Road, Sokoto, and alleged attacks on other opposition figures.
It also cited the reported demolition of its governorship campaign office in Kebbi State and the alleged denial of a campaign venue in Enugu State to the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate, Peter Obi.
The council further referenced the reported attacks on Sowore and other opposition voices, describing the incidents as part of an emerging pattern of political intolerance.
According to the ADC-PCC, the alleged attacks, denial of campaign venues, arrests, harassment and intimidation of opposition figures raise serious concerns about the state of democratic freedoms and political pluralism in Nigeria.
It argued that President Tinubu and the APC enjoyed the benefits of political participation and opposition politics when they were outside government, insisting that those same democratic freedoms must be guaranteed to all political parties and their members.
The ADC-PCC expressed concern over the continued detention of its Vice Chairman and former governor of Kaduna State, Nasir el-Rufai, alleging that he was being unlawfully held and denied his right to bail.
It warned that the circumstances surrounding his detention would not weaken the party, adding that the international community was watching developments in Nigeria.
OJUDU, in a statement entitled ‘Ekiti Must Be Safe For Dissent’, described the attack on Sowore as incompatible with democratic values and warned that citizens must be free to express opinions, criticise government officials and promote political causes without fear of assault.
He said his condemnation was irrespective of his political affiliation, stressing that neither Sowore’s politics nor his methods could justify the violence.
“Whatever anyone thinks of Sowore, his politics or his methods, disagreement cannot justify assault. No individual or group has the right to turn political displeasure into a licence to brutalise another citizen,” Ojudu said.
The former presidential aide argued that freedom of expression should not depend on whether those in power agree with the views being expressed.
THE Yankara incident, which occurred on Saturday morning while a convoy of APC campaign vehicles was passing through the community, reportedly led to the loss of a life, with many others reportedly sustaining injuries.
The incident came a few days after another mob reportedly threw stones, sachets of water, and other items at convoys of APC campaign vehicles passing through the Malumfashi Council Area.
According to news reports, both the convoy of the state governor and convoys of APC supporters ferrying through to a campaign rally in Funtua Council Area were attacked with stones and rated items.
But the state government, in a statement by the governor’s spokesperson, Ibrahim Mohammed, said the Yankara incident was unrelated to Governor Dikko Radda’s campaign rally, contrary to reports linking the two events on social media.
Mohammed said preliminary information indicated that the incident stemmed from a disagreement between participants in a Maulud procession and security personnel over designated routes, resulting in confusion on a public street in Yankara.
