By Myke Uzendu, Abuja
The Presidential Campaign Council of the African Democratic Congress (ADC PCC) has raised the alarm over an alleged threat by the Edo State Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Jarrett Tenebe, to deploy AK-47 rifles against anyone who attempts to frustrate the party’s bid to secure 2.5 million votes for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election.
The ADC PCC described the alleged statement as “inciting” and “terroristic,” warning that such rhetoric could heighten political tension and undermine the peaceful conduct of the 2027 elections.
The campaign council also condemned the reported attack on ADC members and the destruction of vehicles belonging to party supporters at Gegu in Koton Karfi Local Government Area of Kogi State.
In a statement on Sunday, the council’s Director of Media and Publicity, Kola Ologbondiyan, said the two incidents were indications of what he described as an emerging pattern of intimidation and political violence ahead of the 2027 polls.
Ologbondiyan expressed surprise that a state chairman of the ruling party could allegedly threaten voters with firearms over their electoral choices.
“We are shocked that a state chairman of a ruling party, Mr. Jarrett Tenebe, can stand before the public and threaten Nigerians with AK-47 rifles if they refuse to vote for his party, the APC.
“This is terrorism, and not politics. This is the height of desperation by a party that has failed Nigerians woefully,” he said.
The ADC PCC spokesman said the council had expected the APC leadership and President Tinubu to condemn the alleged threat or demand its immediate retraction, but claimed that no such action had followed.
He further alleged that comments attributed to the President that “all is fair in politics” had emboldened some APC members to engage in intimidation, harassment and alleged violations of the law.
Ologbondiyan also questioned the possibility of the APC securing 2.5 million votes in Edo State through a free and credible electoral process, arguing that the state’s electorate was politically sophisticated and increasingly dissatisfied with what he described as worsening hardship and insecurity.
He said the alleged threat should not be dismissed as ordinary political rhetoric, urging security and electoral authorities to investigate it as a matter of national importance.
The ADC PCC consequently called on the Inspector-General of Police, the Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to invite Tenebe for questioning over the alleged threat.
The council also urged the international community, including the United Nations, European Union, African Union, ECOWAS and the United States, to closely monitor political developments ahead of the 2027 elections and prevail on all stakeholders to ensure a peaceful and credible electoral process.
According to Ologbondiyan, the 2027 election would serve as “a referendum” on the performance of the APC-led administration, insisting that threats and intimidation would not stop Nigerians from exercising their constitutional right to vote.
On the reported attack in Kogi State, the ADC PCC urged security agencies to identify and prosecute those responsible for the alleged assault on its members and destruction of their vehicles.
“We call on the members of our Kogi State chapter, particularly in Koton Karfi Local Government, to name everyone they identified in the course of the needless attack,” Ologbondiyan said.
He charged the security agencies to conduct a thorough investigation and ensure that anyone found culpable was brought to justice.This version gives it a harder national-daily feel while keeping the allegations attributed to the ADC PCC rather than stating them as established facts.
