• Party asks Tinubu to clarify ‘All Is Fair in Politics’ remark, warns of 2027 violence
By| Goodluck E.Adubazi, Abuja
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has demanded the immediate arrest and prosecution of the Chairman of Kuje Area Council, Mr. Samuel Danjuma Shekwolo, over his reported directive that residents should vote for the All Progressives Congress (APC) or leave the council area.
The opposition party described the alleged statement as a threat of forced displacement and a violation of citizens’ constitutional rights, urging the Inspector-General of Police and the Department of State Services (DSS) to take immediate action against the council chairman.
In a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC said Shekwolo’s alleged remarks amounted to an abuse of office, stressing that Nigerians have the constitutional right to reside anywhere in the country and support any political party of their choice.
The party cited Sections 40, 41 and 42 of the 1999 Constitution, which guarantee freedom of association, freedom of movement and protection against discrimination based on political opinion.
According to the ADC, “a sitting elected official, in whose custody the safety and welfare of every resident of Kuje has been placed, has publicly tied a citizen’s right to live in his own country to the party that they vote for.”
The party therefore called on the police and DSS to arrest and charge Shekwolo, insisting that the matter should be determined by a court of law.
The ADC also questioned the political basis of the chairman’s alleged threat, noting that Shekwolo won the Kuje Area Council election with 17,269 votes, while the PDP and APGA candidates polled 15,824 and 4,305 votes respectively.
It said thousands of residents who did not vote for the chairman remained entitled to his protection and representation as citizens of the council.
The opposition party further linked the Kuje incident to alleged threats made by APC Senator Francis Fadahunsi during the August 15 Osun governorship election.
The ADC recalled that at Polling Unit 1, NUD Primary School, Illusoriness, during the election, Fadahunsi allegedly warned party supporters to monitor how citizens voted and said anyone who voted for a candidate they were not supposed to support should be dealt with.
The party also alleged that the senator had earlier threatened opposition supporters, including members of the Accord Party, with violence and vowed that they would not be allowed to vote.
According to the ADC, although Fadahunsi was questioned by the police, he was released without charge, describing the development as evidence of a growing culture of impunity.
The party said the alleged threats in Osun and Kuje were connected to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s July 29, 2026, remark that “all is fair in politics.”
The ADC urged the President to personally clarify the statement, saying his words could be interpreted by officials and supporters of his party as approval for intimidation, voter suppression, violence or forced displacement.
“If that is not what the President meant, he should say so himself, and he should say so now,” the party said.
The ADC also called on Tinubu to publicly call the APC members involved in the alleged incidents to order, specifically naming Shekwolo and Fadahunsi.
It maintained that a clarification from presidential aides would not be sufficient, arguing that since the original statement was made by the President, the clarification should also come directly from him.
The party further appealed to the National Peace Committee to intervene before the 2027 general elections, warning that failure to act early could worsen political tensions and violence.
“We hope you are witnessing this,” the ADC told the committee, urging it to act while peaceful intervention remains possible.
The party said the sequence of a presidential statement, alleged threats by a serving senator, an alleged eviction threat by a council chairman and the release of suspects without prosecution should concern all stakeholders in Nigeria’s electoral process.
The opposition party made seven demands, including:
The immediate arrest and prosecution of Kuje Area Council Chairman, Samuel Danjuma Shekwolo.
The reopening and full prosecution of the case involving Senator Francis Fadahunsi.
Preservation by the police, DSS and INEC of all video, audio and documentary evidence relating to both incidents.
A personal and public clarification by President Tinubu on his “all is fair in politics” remark.
Public disowning and disciplinary action against Shekwolo by the APC.
A full retraction and public apology by the Kuje council chairman.
The inclusion of the FCT and Osun State on the early-warning watchlist of domestic and international election observers ahead of the 2027 elections.
The ADC declared that Nigerians could not be treated as tenants in their own country or have their right to reside in any part of the federation determined by their political affiliation.
“Nigerians are not tenants in their own country, holding their residency at the pleasure of a ruling party. We are citizens,” the party said, vowing to defend that principle “in every ward, in every council and in every court” across the country.
The statement was signed by Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, National Publicity Secretary of the African Democratic Congress.
