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By Myke Agunwa, Abuja
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has condemned Saturday’s attack on its members during a gathering in Alimosho LGA, Lagos State, where party leaders, including Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, were present.
The party expressed outrage that political thugs desecrated a church by spilling blood in its vicinity where a peaceful meeting was on-going.
The ADC in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi on Sunday, warned that the invasion of the church venue in Lagos, is consistent with the growing authoritarian temper that the ruling party has demonstrated against the opposition in recent weeks, which, if not challenged, might get worse in the months ahead.
The ADC asserted that the only way the ruling party could recover whatever is left of its reputation globally is to stop the serial acts of suppressing the opposition party and allow democracy to thrive in Nigeria.
The party also called on the Nigeria Police to remember that its primary loyalty is to the constitution and the Nigerian people, not the ruling party. It challenges security operatives to rise above partisan interests and not allow itself to be turned into the armed wing of the APC.
The coalition platform stated that “With this attack on a church, no one can predict how far this APC under President Tinubu is willing to go in its desperate quest to hold on to power at all costs. It started in Edo with a warning to ADC leaders not to visit the state, followed by Kogi, and then the shutting down of a private radio station in Niger, before it escalated to sponsored attacks on peaceful meetings in Kaduna, followed by attacks on convoys of ADC leaders in Kebbi.
“Now, APC-sponsored thugs have gone so far as attacking a church premises. If churches and other places of worship are no longer regarded as inviolable by the APC goons, how then does the party intend to prove to the world that it is not indeed a terrorist organisation?”
It added that “opposition and dissent are the hallmarks of democracy. APC’s total intolerance for both, especially under President Tinubu, has no parallel in the 26-year history of this 4th Republic”.
The party called on the Nigeria Police to rise above partisan interests and demonstrate that they are not compromised. “The police have a duty to ensure that justice is served swiftly and transparently to the perpetrators of the attack in Lagos, Kaduna, Kebbi, and all other states where ADC leaders have been threatened and assaulted. The perpetrators of these shameful acts must be identified, arrested, and prosecuted” it added.
The party argued that APC’s resort to violence and intimidation is a glaring confession of its failure. “Rather than present a track record of achievements to the Nigerian people, the APC wants to bulldoze its way into another election season by eliminating opposition. This is the mark dictatorship” the party warned.
The party assured Nigerians that ADC will remain undeterred. “We are committed to engaging Nigerians peacefully, constructively, and courageously. But we will not fold our arms while our leaders are attacked and our gatherings are turned into battlegrounds” the party stated.