The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has condemned in the strongest terms, the restriction order issued by the Edo State Governor, Monday Okpebholo against Mr Peter Obi.
The governor had, at the weekend, declared the state as a no-go-area for Obi, who was to visit Edo state, as part of the programme outlined for his 64th birthday.
The botched visit was at the instance of Mr Obi’s supporters, the Obidient Movement resident in Edo.
But in an official reaction, the APC reminded Okpebholo that he does not own Edo State, adding that issuing such unconstitutional orders has become a pattern with governors of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
At a media briefing on Saturday by the spokesman of the ADC, Bolaji Abdullahi, the party warned that the APC has introduced a dangerous pattern to the country’s democracy.
Affirming that Nigeria is a free country, Abdullahi said Governor Okpebholo’s illegal order must not be allowed to go unchallenged.
“It is becoming a pattern for APC governors to make the kind of pronouncements credited to Governor Okpebholo, declaring that Mr. Obi or opposition leaders are not welcome in their states.
“This is not democratic and it’s a very dangerous pattern. Nigeria is a free country, and every citizen of Nigeria has the right to go anywhere in this country.
“We don’t need a visa in our 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 bud. This kind of statement sounds more monarchical than democratic, and it is dangerous for democracy,” Abdullahi said.
The ADC spokesman said leaders of the coalition were alarmed and worried, to hear an elected governor make such a pronouncement even when crucial political activities have yet to begin.
“The states don’t belong to them. The states belong to the 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.
“Having failed to turn Nigeria into a one-party state, now the strategy is to begin to intimidate and issue threats and warnings that we cannot come to their states.
“This is unacceptable. We will go anywhere in Nigeria that we want because Nigeria is a free country,” he said.
Answering a question on a possible clash between Obi and Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, over the ADC’s 2027 presidential ticket, Abdullahi said the party does not foresee any clash ahead.
“I have not heard Peter Obi or Atiku Abubakar say if it’s not them, then it’s nothing. It’s their supporters or people who purport to speak for them that are saying this.
“Whether it’s Peter Obi or Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, or any other aspirant on the platform of the ADC, understand that this is democracy and we are not going to anoint any aspirant or candidate.
“Like our chairman has emphasised, we don’t have a predetermined agenda. We don’t have any favourite candidate. We are going to provide a level playing ground and a transparent process for the emergence of our presidential candidate.
“I am not aware, therefore, that any of these aspirants have directly said that it’s either them or they are no longer part of the coalition. It’s okay for supporters to continue to say what they want to say.
“But they don’t necessarily represent the sentiments of people that they claim to support. And that’s why we say that for us in ADC, we are going to maintain strict internal democracy.
“And if anybody has any preferred aspirants or candidates, what I would advise them is to get a membership card of the ADC so that they will be in a position to vote for these aspirants when the time comes to elect a candidate for the party.”
Abdullahi dismissed media reports that some persons or groups had gone to court to challenge the takeover of the ADC by the leaders of the coalition.
He said he was not aware of any legal issues over the takeover, adding however, that there were reports in certain quarters that some people had gone to court.
Continuing, he said, “But like I repeatedly said, it’s possible that they don’t have the correct information. 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 have done to other opposition parties.”
Abdullahi affirmed the commitment of the coalition leaders to the ADC, saying that those of them who have yet to formally join, have some pending matters to resolve in their parties.
He cited the cases of Obi and the former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai who have chosen to wait and see their respective parties through with the various off season elections coming up in the months ahead.
