The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has strongly condemned the arson attack on its Ekiti State secretariat, calling it a deliberate act of political terrorism intended to intimidate opposition parties ahead of the upcoming governorship election.
The incident occurred in the early hours of Monday, October 21, when unknown assailants set fire to the ADC office located in Ado-Ekiti, just hours before the party’s planned Reconfiguration and Affirmation Ceremony.
In a statement issued by Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, the ADC described the attack as part of a disturbing pattern of violence targeting its members and infrastructure across multiple states.
He urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and civil society organisations to intervene and demand accountability.
“This was not an isolated incident,” Abdullahi said.
“It was a calculated attempt to sabotage our activities and send a chilling message to opposition parties nationwide.”
According to the party, the now-destroyed event was meant to reaffirm and reorganise its leadership across all levels, ward, local government, senatorial and state, as part of internal preparations for upcoming elections.
Abdullahi outlined a series of recent attacks on the ADC, which he claimed prove a coordinated campaign of suppression:
In Kaduna (August 30), party leaders were assaulted during an inauguration event.
In Lagos, ADC members were attacked in Alimosho.
In Kebbi, a convoy of party officials was ambushed in Birnin Kebbi in early September.
In Kogi, the party’s Dekina secretariat was targeted.
In Edo State, the sitting governor allegedly made veiled threats against ADC members.
“Each of these events might seem unrelated on the surface, but taken together, they reveal a pattern, five states, multiple attacks, a clear target,” he said.
“This is no longer partisan politics. It’s an attack on democracy itself.”
He also expressed concern over what he called a “troubling silence” from national institutions and democracy stakeholders.
“Where is the outrage from those who claim to defend democratic values? A political system that tolerates the violent suppression of opposition voices is heading toward crisis,” Abdullahi warned.
Despite the destruction in Ekiti, the ADC confirmed that its Affirmation Ceremony would still proceed “even if it has to take place under a tree.”
“To those who believe violence can silence us, we have a clear message: The ADC is not going anywhere. The fire in Ekiti is evidence that our message is working, that our movement is growing, and that the ruling party is scared,” the statement concluded.
