African Democratic Congress (ADC) has condemned the tweet made by an aide of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Mr. Bayo Onanuga, which alleged that the opposition is planning to overthrow the Tinubu government before 2027.
ADC said the tweet was more than reckless and malicious; it could be a precursor to a systematic clampdown on opposition leaders.
In a statement issued yesterday by ADC spokesperson, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, one week after the formal unveiling of the national opposition coalition in Abuja, the party warned that such reckless and unsubstantiated claim signalled a broader campaign of intimidation and repression against opposition leaders by the Tinubu administration.
The statement 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 designed to justify a potential clampdown on dissent and criminalise legitimate opposition activity under the guise of national security.
“The ADC is not interested in truncating democracy. We are committed to saving the nation from this government’s irredeemable incompetence. And the only means available to us is democracy. We are not soldiers; we are politicians. We don’t have bullets; we only have ballots.
The party said that when the time comes, they will only present solutions and an alternative vision of the future to the Nigerian people and leave them to choose.
“We are left to wonder why the APC government is so jittery that it is so eager to betray its 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.
“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 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.”
The party also called on Nigerians to be vigilant and discerning, and to reject the underhanded tactics being deployed to delegitimise the opposition and silence alternative voices. The health of our democracy depends on a free, open, and competitive political environment.
“Finally, we urge the international community, democratic governments worldwide, international observers, and human rights organisations to monitor Nigeria’s unfolding political environment closely.
“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 remains committed to building a better Nigeria, through peace, participation, and the power of the people,” the party added.
