ADC-PCC Accuses APC of Plotting One-Party Dictatorship, Condemns Campaign Council Inauguration

The African Democratic Congress Presidential Campaign Council (ADC-PCC) has condemned the inauguration of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council in Abuja, describing the event as an alleged attempt by the ruling party to impose a one-party political system on Nigeria.

The ADC-PCC Director of Media and Publicity, Kola Ologbondiyan, made the allegation in a statement reacting to the inauguration ceremony on Wednesday, October 14, 2026, accusing the APC of employing political pressure to weaken opposition parties and consolidate its hold on power ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Ologbondiyan alleged that the ruling party was undermining the country's multiparty democracy by pressuring opposition governors to align with the APC or participate in its presidential campaign council, even when they had not formally defected from their respective parties.

“What we are witnessing is not politics but political abduction. You cannot claim to be a democrat while using state power to force opposition governors into your party and then drafting them into your campaign council. This is political banditry,” he said.

The ADC-PCC spokesman further alleged that the APC was pursuing a political agenda capable of concentrating power in the hands of one individual, claiming that national institutions, security agencies and the judiciary were being deployed to weaken opposition forces.

He, however, did not identify specific institutions or provide detailed evidence in the statement to substantiate the allegations.

The opposition campaign council called on Nigerians, civil society organisations, media organisations and the international community to resist what it described as an anti-democratic agenda, insisting that the country's political future depended on protecting multiparty competition and the independence of democratic institutions.

ADC-PCC Links Democratic Concerns To Economic Hardship

Ologbondiyan also accused the ruling political establishment of paying insufficient attention to the economic difficulties and security challenges confronting Nigerians, arguing that the political struggle for power was taking precedence over the welfare of citizens.

He said many Nigerians were struggling to afford basic necessities, including food, while insecurity continued to threaten lives and livelihoods in different parts of the country.

“These particular sets of leaders don't care about the current conditions of the people but how best to remain in power at a time when average Nigerians find it difficult to eat and be secure,” he said.

He urged Nigerians to oppose what he characterised as an immoral political order in which the retention of power was prioritised over the needs of the population.

“I appeal to Nigerians of conscience to stand up against this birth of immoral politics by those who care less about the suffering of the people,” he added.

The ADC-PCC spokesman also alleged that the country's democracy was experiencing one of its most difficult periods, citing what he described as the suppression of dissenting voices, harassment of opposition figures and the weakening of democratic institutions for partisan purposes.

“Never in our democratic journey have we witnessed this level of intolerance and desperation. The APC government has weaponised poverty, hunger and insecurity to subjugate Nigerians and cripple the opposition,” he stated.

He invoked the legacy of the late Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola and other Nigerians who fought for democratic governance, arguing that the political climate being criticised by the opposition was inconsistent with the ideals for which they struggled.

“This is not the democracy for which Chief M.K.O. Abiola and other martyrs paid the supreme price,” Ologbondiyan said.

The allegations form part of the opposition's wider criticism of the political environment ahead of the 2027 elections, with the ADC-PCC raising concerns about the ability of opposition parties to organise, campaign and compete effectively.

ADC-PCC Backs Atiku, Amaechi Ticket

The campaign council also used the statement to defend the presidential ticket of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi, presenting the pair as leaders capable of addressing Nigeria's political and economic challenges.

Ologbondiyan described Atiku as a committed democrat with extensive political experience and a national reach that, according to him, could help reunite the country and rebuild public confidence in democratic institutions.

“Atiku Abubakar is a democrat to the core. He has the national spread, the capacity and the will to reunite Nigeria and restore our battered democracy, which the APC has destroyed,” he declared.

He added that the future of Nigeria's democracy depended on efforts to prevent what the ADC-PCC characterised as a decline in democratic governance.

The statement did not provide a detailed policy outline explaining how the Atiku-Amaechi ticket would tackle the country's economic difficulties, insecurity or institutional concerns. Instead, it concentrated on the council's allegations against the APC and its argument for political change.

2027 Elections And Multiparty Democracy

The ADC-PCC's reaction comes as political parties and their prospective candidates intensify preparations for the 2027 general elections. The formation and inauguration of campaign structures are among the activities through which parties seek to mobilise supporters, consolidate political alliances and communicate their programmes to voters.

The controversy raised by the ADC-PCC centres on whether political alignments involving members of opposition parties reflect voluntary political cooperation or undue pressure. The statement, however, did not present specific evidence establishing that opposition governors had been coerced into joining the APC campaign council.

The APC's position on the allegations was not included in the statement, and the claims remain those of the ADC-PCC pending a response from the ruling party and independent verification.

The controversy also underscores the importance of transparent political processes, respect for party affiliation, freedom of association and the ability of competing parties to operate without unlawful interference.

As preparations for the 2027 elections continue, the conduct of political parties, the treatment of opposition figures and the independence of relevant institutions are likely to remain important subjects of public debate.

The ADC-PCC called on Nigerians, the media, civil society groups and the international community to oppose what it described as the APC's anti-democratic agenda and support efforts to preserve the country's multiparty political system.

The statement was signed by Ologbondiyan in his capacity as Director of Media and Publicity of the ADC Presidential Campaign Council.