By Luminous Jannamike
ABUJA – The African Democratic Congress, ADC, has demanded the immediate arrest and prosecution of Kuje Area Council Chairman, Samuel Danjuma Shekwolo, over his alleged threat that residents who fail to vote for the All Progressives Congress, APC, should leave the council.
The party described the reported threat as a dangerous escalation of political intimidation, warning that Nigerians cannot be forced to choose between their political allegiance and their right to live anywhere in the country.
In a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, on Wednesday, the ADC also demanded that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu personally clarify his July 29 remark that ‘all is fair in politics’ and call members of his party to order.
“Let us be clear about what this is: A sitting elected official, in whose custody the safety and welfare of every resident of Kuje has been placed, has publicly tied a citizen’s right to live in his own country to the party that they vote for. That is a threat of forced displacement,” Abdullahi said.
The ADC called on the Inspector-General of Police and the Department of State Services, DSS, to arrest and charge Shekwolo, citing Sections 40, 41 and 42 of the 1999 Constitution on political association, freedom of residence and protection against discrimination.
It linked the Kuje controversy to the case involving APC Senator Francis Fadahunsi during the Osun governorship election, alleging that he threatened opposition voters with violence. The party noted that Fadahunsi was questioned by police but released without charge.
“A sitting Senator of the Federal Republic publicly threatened to kill Nigerians over their political choice. He was questioned by the police. He walked away. No charge. No suspension. No consequence,” the ADC said.
According to the party, the absence of consequences in the Osun case could embolden other political actors to make similar threats.It also connected both incidents to Tinubu’s July 29 comment, arguing that presidential words carry particular weight among members and officials of the ruling party.
“If that is not what the President meant, he should say so himself, and he should say so now,” the party said, insisting that the clarification must come personally from Tinubu.
“Silence at this point is not neutrality. Silence is ratification,” it added.
The ADC further urged the National Peace Committee to intervene before the situation worsens, warning that waiting until the 2027 elections could prove costly.
“If it waits until 2027, it will be issuing condolences, not appeals,” the party warned.
Among its other demands, the party wants the Fadahunsi case reopened, evidence from both incidents preserved by the police, DSS and INEC, and the APC to discipline and publicly disown Shekwolo’s reported statement.
It also wants Shekwolo to retract the statement and apologise to Kuje residents, while urging domestic and international election observers to designate the FCT and Osun as early-warning locations ahead of 2027.
“Nigerians are not tenants in their own country, holding their residency at the pleasure of a ruling party. We are citizens,” the ADC declared.
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