The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has described the restriction order issued on the Labour Party candidate in the 2023 presidential election Peter Obi, by Governor Monday Okpebholo to Edo State as danger to the nation’s democracy.
Okpebholo had last week warned that Obi could come to harm if he comes to Edo State without security clearance from him.
But interim National Publicity Secretary of the ADC, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, at a press conference over the weekend, said no Nigerian needs a visa to visit any part of the country.
“We don’t need anybody’s permission to go to any part of our country. This also speaks to an authoritarian instinct among some of these governors of the APC. And we believe that this can only get worse if it’s not nipped in the board,” he warned.
Mallam Abdullahi noted that this was not the first time a governor of the All Progressives Congress (APC) would be issuing such threat, and said it was part of the strategy to intimidate coalition leaders after its plot for one-party state.
Governor Hyacinth Alia of Benue State had earlier prevented Obi from visiting his state, citing security concerning.
The ADC spokesperson warned that such is not only dangerous for democracy but a very dangerous pattern.
“Nigeria is a free country, and every citizen of Nigeria has the right to go anywhere in this country,” he stated.
He expressed worried that the governors were already issuing such threats even before ban on political activities is lifted.
According to him, having failed to turn Nigeria into one-party state, APC’s new strategy is to intimidate and issue threats and warnings to coalition leaders.
“The states don’t belong to them. The states belong to Nigerian people. So we are concerned and want to put it on record to every Nigerian and international community to follow what is going on in Nigeria,” he demanded.
Mallam Abdullahi also used the opportunity to explain why Obi and former Kaduna State governor Malam Nasiru el-Rufai have not resigned from their parties, explaining that they were granted leave to complete the process of by-election and the Anambra State governorship election in their legacy parties.
“So it’s only logical and fair that they are allowed to complete that process. But they are solidly in the coalition and as soon as that process is completed, they will move it fully,” he said.
The party spokesperson denied any legal any encumbrance facing the coalition platform, even though some persons have gone to court against it, but “for us in the ADC, we are confident that we are on solid legal grounds in everything that we have done.
“This didn’t just happen overnight it took a very long time because we knew the kind of challenges that we are faced with.
“And we know that once we leave any legal loophole, the ruling party will not hesitate to take advantage of it to destabilise our party the way they’ve done to other opposition parties.”
.
