The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has issued a stern warning against what it describes as a deliberate attempt by President Bola Tinubu's administration to lay groundwork for a systematic clampdown on opposition leaders in Nigeria.
The opposition party's alarm follows controversial statements made by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser on Information and Strategy to the President, who claimed opposition groups were plotting to unseat President Tinubu.
In a statement released on Wednesday by Bolaji Abdullahi, the Interim National Publicity Secretary and spokesperson of the opposition coalition, the ADC condemned Onanuga's remarks as a "textbook example of a political dog whistle."
Onanuga had posted on X (formerly Twitter): "The haters of Nigeria's progress are banding together to overthrow an administration that has been the most focused, most transformative in our history," referencing earlier comments by Emir Muhammadu Sanusi II regarding reforms by the Tinubu administration.
The ADC's response was unequivocal, stating that Onanuga's claims appeared designed to justify potential government action against legitimate political opposition.
"The APC-led federal government appears to be constructing a false narrative that is designed to justify potential clampdown on dissent, and to criminalize legitimate opposition activity under the guise of national security," the statement partly reads.
Emphasizing their commitment to democratic principles, the ADC declared: "We are not soldiers, we are politicians. We don't have bullets; we only have the ballots. When the time comes, we will only present our solutions and an alternative vision of the future to the Nigerian people and leave them to make their choice."
The opposition party also highlighted the irony that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), which itself came to power as an opposition party, now appears intolerant of political dissent.
"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," the statement noted.
The ADC called on President Tinubu to restrain his aides from making inflammatory statements that could potentially destabilize Nigeria's democratic system. Additionally, the party appealed to the international community to monitor the political climate in Nigeria and hold the administration accountable for any violations of democratic norms.
"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 statement concluded.
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