The African Democratic Congress, ADC, has alleged that the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, is behind a plan to sponsor a protest in Abuja on Thursday, April 2, in a bid to influence the leadership crisis rocking the opposition party.
In statement by the spokesman for the party, Bolaji Abdullahi, the party claimed that after what it described as an earlier attempt to pressure the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, into taking “illegal action” against the ADC failed, its opponents had “changed tactics” and were now planning a street protest to sustain the dispute.
The ADC said intelligence available to it indicated that the planned demonstration would be led by a “paid crowd” posing as aggrieved party members and demanding the removal of David Mark. It alleged that the protest was designed to create public pressure on INEC to recognize an individual it said had resigned from the party and was later expelled.
According to the party, the alleged plot was part of a wider attempt to destabilize the ADC, which it described as “the only viable opposition party left in the country.
“The plan by the ruling APC government to hijack the leadership of the ADC is real,” the statement said. “If anything, it has assumed a new level of desperation in the past few days,” said the statement.
The party said it remained focused on serving Nigerians and would continue to act within the law. It also called on President Bola Tinubu to caution those it described as his “enforcers.”
The APC and INEC have yet to publicly respond to the allegations.
