2027 Politics Watch: Political violence, ADC’s legal internal setback

Suspected thugs attack NDC town hall venue in Lagos, damage vehicles

Nigeria’s political landscape is witnessing fresh developments as parties intensify preparations for the 2027 general elections, with disputes over opposition party leadership and campaign mobilisation dominating the political conversation.

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) is considering its next legal steps after receiving the certified copy of a judgement that invalidated its leadership structure and decisions, including the process that produced former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar as its presidential candidate.

The opposition party has also accused the Kaduna State Government of obstructing its political activities, an allegation the state government has denied.

Meanwhile, the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council condemned attacks on political gatherings across the country and called on security agencies to arrest those responsible. The intervention followed reported incidents in Edo, Cross River, and Gombe states, as well as the disruption of a Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) town hall meeting in Lagos.

The ADC has received the certified true copy of the Federal High Court judgement that invalidated its leadership structure, leaving the party to consider its next legal steps ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The party obtained the document on Wednesday, 11 November, six days after Justice Peter Lifu delivered the judgement in Abuja.

The court had nullified the emergence of the National Working Committee led by former Senate President David Mark, ruling that the process that produced the leadership did not comply with the relevant provisions of the Electoral Act.

The judgement also affected decisions taken by the committee, including the process that produced Atiku Abubakar as the party’s presidential candidate.

In a further finding, Justice Lifu rejected a purported resignation letter allegedly written by Nafiu Bala Gombe, the party’s former Deputy National Chairman, after comparing the signature on the document with those on his sworn statements.

The judge held that the letter was not reliable evidence that Mr Gombe voluntarily resigned.

He, however, declined to declare Mr Gombe the party’s substantive National Chairman, ruling that his claim to automatic succession was separate from the question of whether the Mark-led leadership was lawfully constituted.

The court directed INEC to recognise Mr Gombe as the only elected member of the party’s National Working Committee whose four-year tenure remained valid.

The ADC has rejected the findings, insisting that it possesses the original resignation letter bearing Mr Gombe’s signature. Its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, said the party would appeal the judgement.

The party further accused the Kaduna State Government of obstructing its political activities after the party’s proposed venue for a consultation between Atiku and Northern stakeholders was reportedly sealed.

The meeting was scheduled for Thursday at the Arewa House in Kaduna.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, the Director of Strategic Communication of the ADC Presidential Campaign Council, Phrank Shaibu, accused the government of using public authority to frustrate opposition activities.

Mr Shaibu said the party had proposed Arewa House for the consultation but discovered that the facility had been sealed.

He quoted Atiku as saying that the venue was selected for the meeting before the government closed the building.

The party linked the incident to an earlier disagreement over its campaign activities in Sokoto, alleging that the ruling APC was restricting opposition mobilisation.

However, the Kaduna State Government denied sealing Arewa House to prevent the meeting. It described the allegation as untrue and an attempt to tarnish Governor Uba Sani’s image

The APC Presidential Campaign Council condemned reported attacks on political gatherings in Edo, Cross River, and Gombe states, as well as the disruption of an NDC town hall meeting in Lagos.

In a statement issued Thursday and signed by DPC spokesperson, iDele Alake, the campaign council said attacks on political leaders and supporters across party lines were unacceptable.

“We have observed the recent spate of violent attacks at political gatherings in parts of the country. The reported attacks in Edo, Cross River, and Gombe, and other violence targeted at party supporters and political leaders across party lines are condemnable,” the statement said.

The council specifically condemned the disruption of the NDC’s scheduled town hall meeting in Lagos, calling on security agencies to prevent further attacks and arrest those responsible.

“We call on the security agencies to be more responsive and alert in preventing political violence of any type and ensure instigators and perpetrators are apprehended and punished in accordance with the law,” Mr Alake said.

The campaign council also urged political parties, candidates, and their supporters to exercise restraint and avoid actions that could trigger public disorder as electioneering activities gather momentum. It asked candidates to focus their campaigns on issues affecting Nigerians rather than inciting violence.

The Lagos incident occurred at the Classique Event Centre in the Oregun area, where suspected hoodlums reportedly invaded the venue and disrupted the gathering. The attack came amid other reported incidents targeting political gatherings and supporters in different parts of the country.

The National Leader of the NDC, Seriake Dickson, alleged that unnamed individuals planned to manipulate the 2027 election results and deploy fake security personnel to intimidate voters.

Mr Dickson, who represents Bayelsa West Senatorial District, disclosed this in a Facebook post on Thursday while recounting his meeting with NDC youth and women leaders from wards in Ekeremor Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.

He said he had warned the party members about the alleged plans and urged them to remain vigilant.

“I am aware of the alleged plans to manipulate election results and deploy fake security personnel to intimidate voters,” he said.

The former Bayelsa State Governor urged citizens to resist electoral malpractice and intimidation through lawful means. He also called on security agencies and INEC to carry out their responsibilities impartially and professionally.

Mr Dickson did not identify the individuals or political parties allegedly involved in the purported plan.

He further urged NDC members to avoid attacking or insulting political opponents, saying citizens should be allowed to make their political choices without intimidation.

Amnesty International has condemned the attack on the campaign convoy of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in Gombe State, Isa Pantami, calling on security agencies to investigate the incident and prosecute those responsible.

The attack occurred on Wednesday, 11 November, along Jekadafari Road in Gombe as Mr Pantami arrived in the state capital ahead of the 2027 elections.

The human rights organisation, in a statement on Thursday, described the incident as a deliberate attempt to prevent the candidate from entering the city.

According to Amnesty International, preliminary findings suggested that the attackers were suspected to be working for the APC.

Videos from the scene showed armed persons barricading the road with burning tyres, while several vehicles in the convoy reportedly had their windscreens smashed.

The organisation said it was concerned that no arrests had been made when it issued the statement. It warned that unchecked attacks on opposition figures could undermine peaceful political participation.

It called on security agencies to investigate the incident and ensure that those responsible were prosecuted.

The Gombe State Police Command confirmed the attack and said investigations were ongoing. The police spokesperson, Buhari Abdullahi, said no arrests had been made as of Wednesday, adding that the command would prosecute anyone found culpable.

The SDP has appointed Yunusa Tanko, a former political adviser to Peter Obi and former National Coordinator of the Obidient Movement, as the National Coordinator of its 2027 presidential campaign.

The appointment was announced on Wednesday, 11 November, during the inauguration of the party’s Presidential Campaign Council at its national secretariat in Abuja.

Mr Tanko’s appointment came barely two weeks after he resigned as Mr Obi’s political adviser for Northern Nigeria.

In his acceptance speech, he pledged to work with the party’s presidential candidate, Adewole Adebayo, to build a nationwide campaign organisation ahead of the elections.

He said the SDP represented the interests of ordinary Nigerians, particularly people who felt neglected, and thanked the party’s leadership for the confidence placed in him.

Mr Tanko previously served as the National Coordinator of the Obidient Movement, which mobilised support for Mr Obi during the 2023 presidential election.

His appointment places a former leading figure in Mr Obi’s political movement within the campaign structure of another opposition presidential candidate.

The NDC’s Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Abdulmumin Abdulsalami, has resigned from the party, citing alleged injustice, exclusion, and interference by influential officials.

Mr Abdulsalami announced his decision in a resignation letter addressed to the party’s National Chairman, Moses Cleopas, through his former ward chairman in Nagazi Ward, Adavi Local Government Area of Kogi State.

In the letter, he said his contributions to the party had increasingly conflicted with the interests of some powerful members.

He described himself as a foundation member who had contributed to the party’s formation and growth but said he could no longer remain amid what he considered recurring injustices.

He also said he was returning to private life rather than remain in a party where he felt excluded.

Mr Abdulsalami previously served as the NDC’s pro-tem chairman in Kogi State before becoming Deputy National Publicity Secretary and later Deputy National Director for Labour and Civil Society.

However, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Osa Director, dismissed suggestions of an internal crisis, saying one member’s resignation did not indicate divisions within the party.