ADC Condemns APC Over AK-47 Threat, Says Party Plotting Violence Ahead Of 2027

The African Democratic Congress Presidential Campaign Council (ADC PCC) has condemned the threat by the Edo State Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Jarrett Tenebe, to deploy AK-47 rifles against anyone who attempts to deny the party the 2.5 million votes it has promised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election.

The Council also condemned the reported attack on members of the ADC and destruction of vehicles belonging to party supporters at Gegu in Koton Karfi Local Government Area of Kogi State.

In a statement issued on Sunday, Director of Media and Publicity of the ADC PCC, Kola Ologbondiyan, described the alleged threat and the Kogi incident as acts of intimidation and political violence capable of undermining the 2027 general elections.

Ologbondiyan said Tenebe’s alleged plot was “inciting” and “terroristic,” arguing that it amounted to an attempt to intimidate voters and create an atmosphere of fear ahead of the polls.

“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 Council had waited for the APC leadership and President Tinubu to condemn or demand a retraction of the statement but no such response was received.

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 secure 2.5 million votes in Edo State through a free, fair and credible process, describing Edo voters as politically sophisticated and increasingly dissatisfied with hardship and insecurity under the APC administration.

He said the threat to use AK-47 rifles against voters violates the Electoral Act and the Constitution and should be investigated by relevant authorities, adding that it reinforced concerns that the APC might resort to violence to retain power in 2027.

The ADC PCC 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 over the alleged threat.

The Council 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 2027 elections and prevail on the Federal Government and the APC to ensure a peaceful and credible electoral process.

Ologbondiyan said the 2027 election would be “a referendum” on the performance of the APC-led administration, insisting that no amount of intimidation or threats would stop Nigerians from exercising their constitutional right to vote.

On the reported attack on ADC members in Gegu, Koton Karfi LGA of Kogi State, 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,” he said, urging thorough investigation and justice for victims.