NDC ​‌‌‌⁠⁠‍‍⁠⁠‍‍‌‍‍⁠‌‌‍‌​attack: ADC urges Sanwo-Olu to speak out on political violence

The Lagos State Chairman of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Mr George Ashiru, has urged Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu to publicly condemn political violence and intimidation of opposition parties in the state.

Ashiru made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Saturday in Lagos, while reacting to the attack on supporters of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) during a town hall meeting in Lagos on Thursday.

Ashiru appealed to Sanwo-Olu to make a clear and strong statement condemning political violence and assure residents that opposition parties and their supporters would be protected.

He urged the governor to demonstrate his administration’s commitment to democratic principles by making a clear statement on what he described as unacceptable political conduct in the state.

“I would like to appeal to the governor of this state to very clearly and very strongly make a statement if truly he is presiding over the Centre of Excellence, on what is not acceptable in this state, and all the other agencies of government should also do so,” he said.

The ADC chairman also called on security agencies and other government institutions to speak out against political violence and take concrete measures to protect the lives and property of citizens.

Ashiru said the ADC had experienced several attacks, blockades and intimidation of its members since 2025, adding that the party had repeatedly raised concerns over the incidents.

He said that the incidents occurred in Mushin, Alimosho and council areas in  Ibeju-Lekki and Epe, prompting the party to petition the police and the Department of State Services (DSS).

“From the ADC perspective, we have been shouting and screaming since last year, when ADC was a target of numerous attacks, blockades and intimidation of our members in Mushin, in Alimosho, three different times, including recently, and in other local government areas, all the way to Ibeju-Lekki and Epe.

“We have been constantly attacked, to the extent that we did a press conference; we even wrote petitions to the police and to the DSS,” he said.

Ashiru said the experiences of the ADC suggested that some political actors were unwilling to allow opposition parties to operate freely in Lagos, which he described as the Centre of Excellence.

He said that he wondered whether some political actors had failed to understand the principles of democracy, which, according to him, guaranteed participation and representation for all citizens.

“So, we have already gone through a whole gamut of experiences in ADC, where it seems to us that the powers that be do not want any form of opposition in the so-called Centre of Excellence.

“We wonder whether, when Nigeria gained independence from the British and then from the military. Some people did not get the memo that democracy is government by all and for all,” he said.

The ADC chairman described the attack on NDC supporters as unfortunate, saying it was disturbing that a relatively new political party was already experiencing disruptions to its peaceful political activities.

He said that political parties should be allowed to organise meetings, mobilise supporters and present their candidates to the electorate without intimidation or disruption.

“So, it is really sad that the new party, NDC, is also experiencing this already, where peaceful assembly is being truncated, targeted.

“Instead of these people going to go and support their own candidates and showcase what they can do, they rather disrupt other people’s
and other parties’ activities and events,” he said.

Ashiru called on security agencies to be more proactive in preventing political violence, urging them to engage regularly with political parties' security officers and coordinate their activities.

He said that such engagements would enable security agencies to provide necessary guidance and ensure adequate protection during political gatherings and other activities.

The chairman stressed that security agencies should move beyond holding meetings and issuing assurances to taking practical steps to prevent attacks and apprehend perpetrators.

“I think there is a need to be more than just rhetoric. The police commissioner called for a security meeting recently and we have had meetings with other security agencies.

“Again, the major issue is that some of this violence occurs in the presence of these police officers, in their very presence,” he said.

Ashiru alleged that security operatives had failed to intervene decisively during previous attacks on ADC members, in spite of being present at the scenes.

He alleged that in many of the attacks, no arrests were made following the incident and that the police did not issue any public statement on the matter.

The ADC chairman warned that failure to address political violence could lead to wider security challenges, stressing that political disagreements should not be allowed to degenerate into communal crises.

He said that political violence, if left unchecked, could escalate from isolated incidents into conflicts affecting entire communities.
“Politics have a way of starting like a small fire and before you know it, it’s a conflagration of whole communities,” he said.

He reiterated the need for security agencies to protect the lives and property of the electorate and ensure that political parties could freely carry out their lawful activities without intimidation.

NAN recalls that the attack on NDC supporters reportedly occurred on Thursday when suspected political thugs, armed with cutlasses, cudgels, stones and other dangerous weapons, invaded Classique Event Place, Oregun, where they had gathered for a town hall meeting.

The meeting was organised ahead of the expected arrival of the party’s presidential candidate, Mr Peter Obi, and his running mate, Sen. Rabiu Kwankwaso, to engage party supporters and stakeholders ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Accounts of some eyewitnesses indicated that the attackers stormed the venue as participants were preparing for the meeting, triggering pandemonium and forcing supporters and journalists to flee for safety.