ADC’s Accusations Against FG Unfounded, Premature—Security Protocols Should Not Be Politicized
By Dr. G. Fraser. MFR.
The National Patriots.
Headlinenews.News Political Affairs Desk
July 7, 2025
> “Democracy is not weakened by investigation; it is weakened when paranoia replaces process.”
— Dr. G. Fraser, MFR, Governance & Perception Management Expert
The political temperature rose sharply on Monday after the African Democratic Congress (ADC), through its Interim National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, accused the Tinubu administration of orchestrating a plot to destabilize the opposition coalition through clandestine meetings with state-level party chairmen.
The ADC described the alleged meeting as an attempt to co-opt, intimidate, and disrupt the growing momentum of the recently declared opposition coalition. In a strongly worded statement, the party characterized the actions as “a coordinated assault on multiparty democracy” and urged President Tinubu to rein in his appointees.
While the concerns of any political party in a democracy should be given a fair hearing, a dispassionate look at the facts suggests that the ADC’s statement may be an overreaction rooted in suspicion, not evidence.
Security Agencies Have a Mandate—Not a Political Bias
In a democracy, the intelligence and security agencies must be allowed to carry out their statutory duties—especially in a period of heightened political mobilization and economic strain.
The reported meeting with certain party chairmen—particularly from the North East and North West, both regions with complex security dynamics—should not automatically be construed as intimidation or political sabotage. It is entirely plausible that the security apparatus acted on credible intelligence, seeking dialogue or verification to prevent communal tensions or political violence as grassroots mobilizations are announced.
Nigeria has experienced this before. In the buildup to the 2011 and 2015 elections, community-level political rallies by multiple parties led to violent clashes, retaliatory attacks, and mass displacements in states like Bauchi, Kaduna, and Rivers. Security agencies today cannot afford to repeat those mistakes.
Is ADC Jumping the Gun? It’s Not Yet Campaign Season
By its own admission, the ADC is not yet a governing party. Its recent unveiling and coalition declaration are within democratic rights. However, announcing regional grassroots mobilizations in mid-2025—more than two years ahead of INEC’s scheduled campaign window—can be interpreted as premature and possibly provocative in volatile regions.
The Electoral Act 2022 prohibits early campaigning. While sensitization is permissible, it must be designed to inform—not inflame. The timing, language, and posture of the ADC’s activities raise valid questions about whether the party is seeking public sympathy or creating a pretext for confrontation.
> “You don’t build credibility by crying wolf before the moon rises. Opposition must be constructive, not disruptive.”
— Professor Remi Oyelade, Political Historian, University of Ibadan
Why Parleys with Political Leaders Are Necessary
Given Nigeria’s delicate socio-political balance, it is entirely in the national interest for security and political leadership to engage opposition figures through official or informal channels. These engagements—sometimes mischaracterized as “clandestine”—are standard deconfliction tools in conflict-prone democracies.
From Kenya to Ghana, non-partisan security protocols are applied when any group, ruling or opposition, engages in regional mobilization that could alter the local balance of peace or strain existing communal structures.
In this case, no arrests have been made, no media blackouts enforced, and no suppression recorded. The outcry from the ADC appears more reactive than evidentiary.
Weaponizing Hardship Is Dangerous for National Unity
The ADC has framed its movement as a response to Nigeria’s current economic hardship. However, national challenges should not be exploited for narrow political gain. The Tinubu administration’s ongoing economic reforms—including subsidy removal, forex liberalization, and agricultural investments—have been endorsed by international institutions as tough but necessary.
Rather than weaponize temporary hardship, opposition parties like the ADC should offer alternative policy ideas, not apocalyptic narratives.
> “Democracy thrives when opposition provides vision—not vengeance. Our economic pain must not become political profit.”
— Princess G. Adebajo-Fraser, MFR Founder, The National Patriots.
Conclusion: Crying Wolf Doesn’t Strengthen Democracy
The ADC’s concerns, while emotionally resonant, fall short of presenting clear evidence of sabotage. Nigeria’s democracy is still growing, but it needs institutional trust, not institutional suspicion. Opposition parties must learn to differentiate security protocols from political persecution.
President Tinubu has repeatedly stated that Nigeria will remain a multiparty democracy under his watch. It is now time for the ADC and its coalition allies to exercise caution, discipline, and responsibility—lest their premature actions undermine the very democratic freedoms they claim to defend.
The ADC has a right to organize, but that right must be exercised within the law, with restraint, and with full awareness of Nigeria’s security realities. Governance must not be distracted by political theater.
Dr. G. Fraser. MFR
The National Patriots.
HeadlineNews.News Special Report.
COMMENTARY.
“Opposition or Obstruction? ADC’s Alarm May Be a Cry of Paranoia, Not Persecution”
> Quote:
“Security institutions must never be blackmailed into paralysis. When paranoia replaces protocol, national stability is what suffers.”
— Dr. G. Fraser, MFR, International Governance Consultant
> Comment:
While vigilance is essential in a democracy, parties must distinguish between legitimate security engagement and political witch-hunting narratives that erode public trust in institutions.
“Crying Wolf in a Fragile Democracy: ADC’s Accusations Risk Undermining National Unity”
> Quote:
“In fragile democracies, the most dangerous voice is the one that mistakes attention for attack.”
— Professor Wole Akintola, Political Analyst
> Comment:
By leaping to conclusions about routine intelligence protocols, the ADC may be doing more harm than good to Nigeria’s multiparty stability—especially during economic turbulence.
“Hardship Must Not Be Weaponized: A Warning to Opportunistic Coalitions”
> Quote:
“True leadership is not about harvesting frustration—it’s about healing it with ideas, not outrage.”
— Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, WTO Director-General
> Comment:
The current hardship is real—but exploiting it to stir unrest or provoke confrontation with state actors ahead of the campaign season is irresponsible and destabilizing.
“Democracy Requires Discipline: ADC Should Temper Its Tone Before 2027”
> Quote:
“Freedom of speech is not freedom from consequence. Responsible speech strengthens democracy; reckless speech sets it ablaze.”
— Amina J. Mohammed, UN Deputy Secretary-General
> Comment:
Political parties have the right to organize, but not to preemptively accuse institutions without evidence. Discipline must precede ambition in a post-reform Nigeria.
“The Real Test of Opposition Is Ideas—Not Instigation”
> Quote:
“Opposition without a plan is just noise with a microphone.”
— Dr. G. Fraser, MFR
> Comment:
If the ADC wants to be taken seriously, it must focus on articulating policy alternatives, not on dramatizing every security engagement as political sabotage.
“Before the Campaigns Begin: Why ADC Must Not Disturb National Equilibrium”
> Quote:
“The work of government must not be derailed by ambition that refuses to wait its turn.”
— Nelson Mandela
> Comment:
Nigeria is still in a delicate post-reform phase. Early mobilization and inflammatory rhetoric could trigger grassroots tension, undermine reform impact, and worsen public trust.
The National Patriots.
