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Former presidential candidate describes incident as “assault on democracy.”
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Attack targeted office of African Democratic Congress in Bakassi Local Government Area.
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Peter Obi warns declining political standards threaten democracy in Nigeria.
Former presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has condemned the violent disruption of the secretariat opening of the African Democratic Congress in Bakassi Local Government Area, describing the incident as an attack on Nigeria’s democratic system.
In a statement shared via X, the former governor of Anambra State said the alleged attack by suspected political thugs reflects a worrying decline in democratic standards in the country.
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“What happened at the ADC office in Bakassi is not merely an attack on a political party; it is an attack on democracy itself,” Obi said.
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He warned that the growing tolerance for political misconduct and violence could undermine democratic institutions and destabilise the nation.
According to him, the ability of political thugs to storm a party office and destroy property without immediate arrest shows how dangerously low democratic values have fallen.
“When thugs can storm a party office and destroy property without facing arrest, it reflects how dangerously low our democratic standards have fallen,” he said.
Obi also cautioned that the increasing prevalence of fraudulent practices in politics could pave the way for greater violence in the country.
“The ability for individuals to present forged certificates for election sends a troubling message to our society. If we continue down this path, violence may become the future of our democracy,” he stated.
The former presidential candidate stressed that genuine leadership cannot emerge from fraud, intimidation or violence, warning that such actions threaten the welfare of citizens and the future of the nation.
His reaction followed reports that suspected thugs disrupted the launch of the ADC secretariat in Bakassi on Saturday, dispersing party supporters and destroying canopies, loudspeakers, chairs and other equipment arranged for the event.