• Super Admin
• 08 Mar, 2026

LAGOS / BENIN - The African Democratic Con­gress (ADC) has described the attack on its party secretariat at Ubima Ward, Ikwerre Local Gov­ernment Area of Rivers State, as attack on democracy. Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, Na­tional Publicity Secretary of the ADC, stated this on his X handle on Saturday. He said: "The African Demo­cratic Congress (ADC) strongly condemns the criminal attack on our party secretariat in Ubima, which was burnt to the ground last night by thugs loyal to the ruling party. "This fire is not only an attack on the African Democratic Con­gress as a political party, it is also a direct assault on democracy, political tolerance, and the con­stitutional rights of Nigerians to freely associate and participate in the democratic process. "This latest incident is part of a disturbing pattern of in­timidation and violence against our party and its members. Just a few days ago, ADC members were shot at during a political gathering. "Those who believe they no can intimidate opposition par­ties through arson, violence, and criminal attacks should be reminded that those who choose violence should not assume oth­ers are incapable of defending themselves. "While the ADC remains a peaceful and law-abiding demo­cratic party committed to peace­ful political engagement, we will not stand by and allow our mem­bers, supporters, and facilities to become easy targets for political thuggery." Similarly, the ADC (South- South Zone) has condemned the arson attack on Friday. In a statement issued by the South-South Zonal Publicity Secretary, Mabel Oboh, the zone described the incident as a dis­turbing escalation that threatens democratic participation and po­litical tolerance in Nigeria The statement noted that the burning of a political party's office goes far beyond property damage, emphasising that it rep­resents a direct challenge to the constitutional rights of Nigeri­ans to freely associate, organise politically, and participate in the democratic process without fear or intimidation. Oboh further expressed con­cern that the incident occurred during the ongoing ADC revali­dation exercise in the area. She added that shortly after the attack, former Rivers State governor, Rotimi Amaechi, who was on his way to Ubima Ward to participate in the exer­cise, was reportedly prevented from gaining access to his com­munity. According to Oboh, develop­ments of this nature raise seri­ous concerns about the safety of lawful political participation and the increasing hostility faced by opposition parties. The South- South Zone also recalled that the attack comes barely a week after a similar se­curity scare in Benin City, where violence was reported around the ADC secretariat and later near the residence of former governor of Edo State, John Odigie-Oye­gun, during the declaration event of Olumide Akpata. Oboh emphasised that when political offices are burnt, oppo­sition gatherings are threatened, and leaders are prevented from accessing their communities, democracy itself is placed under serious strain. The ADC South-South Zone, therefore, called on security agencies to immediately launch a thorough and independent inves­tigation into the attack in Rivers State, identify the perpetrators, and ensure that those responsi­ble, including any sponsors of political violence, are brought to justice. Reacting to the development, the Rivers State Publicity Secre­tary of the party, Chief Lucky­man Egila, condemned the attack and warned against attempts to intimidate opposition members. "We cannot normalise a situ­ation where political offices are attacked simply because citizens choose to associate with an oppo­sition party," Egila said. Source: https://independent.ng/ubima-attack-on-our-party-secretariat-attack-on-democracy-adc/