The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has condemned in strong terms the arson attack on its Ekiti State Secretariat in Ado-Ekiti, describing the incident as a deliberate act of political terrorism aimed at silencing opposition voices ahead of the forthcoming governorship election in the state.

The attack, which occurred in the early hours of Monday, October 21, took place just hours before the party’s planned Reconfiguration and Affirmation Ceremony for its Ward, Local Government, Senatorial, and State Executives.

In a statement signed by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC called for an independent investigation into the incident and the prosecution of those responsible. The party also urged civil society organizations, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and international observers to take greater interest in what it described as a “pattern of coordinated attacks” on opposition parties across the country.

“This was a deliberate act of arson intended to sabotage and terrorise the opposition ahead of the Governorship election in the State. The ADC condemns this barbaric act in the strongest possible terms. It is criminal, anti-democratic, and a disgrace to all who claim to believe in political freedom,” the statement read in part.

The ADC alleged that the incident in Ekiti is part of a wider trend of violence targeting its members and structures in several states since the Opposition Coalition adopted the ADC as its preferred platform in July. The party cited similar attacks in Kaduna, Lagos, Kebbi, Kogi, and Edo States, describing the repeated assaults as “too coordinated to be coincidental.”

“In Kaduna, on August 30, some of our party leaders were attacked when an inauguration event was violently disrupted. In Lagos, our leaders were attacked in Alimosho. In Kebbi, our convoy came under attack in Birnin Kebbi. In Kogi, our party secretariat in Dekina was targeted. And in Edo, the sitting governor has issued veiled threats to our members,” Abdullahi stated.

He added that the silence of key democratic institutions and stakeholders in the face of such incidents poses a serious threat to Nigeria’s democratic stability.

“Where is the outrage from those who claim to be custodians of our democracy? A system that looks away while opposition parties are violently suppressed is a system begging for crisis,” the statement continued.

Despite the attack, the ADC announced that its planned Affirmation Ceremony in Ekiti would proceed as scheduled, regardless of the circumstances.

“Despite the ashes, our Affirmation Ceremony in Ekiti will still proceed, whether in a hall or under a tree. Those who think violence will deter us are mistaken the ADC is not going away,” Abdullahi declared.

The party reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening democratic values and providing an alternative to what it described as the “failures of the APC-led administration.”

“We are being attacked because our message is resonating with everyday Nigerians who are tired of the status quo. The fire in Ekiti is further confirmation that the APC is afraid of the rising wave of the ADC,” the statement concluded.