Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has accused President Bola Tinubu of pursuing a "win-at-all-costs" approach to politics, warning that such a mentality poses a grave threat to Nigeria's democracy and national stability. In a statement issued on Wednesday, August 5, 2026, by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the opposition party condemned the freezing of statutory allocations to local governments in Osun State, describing the action as "political terrorism" and a deliberate attempt to undermine the state government ahead of the August 15 governorship election.
The ADC alleged that the withholding of local government funds was part of a broader strategy of intimidation orchestrated by the Federal Government, which it said included the continued occupation of local government councils by unelected All Progressives Congress (APC) loyalists, the arbitrary arrest of opposition figures, and the alleged deployment of armed political thugs with the protection of security agencies. According to the party, these actions reflect President Tinubu's mentality, which "regards political contests as warfare" and "constitutes a serious threat to democratic engagement."
"The freezing of the statutory allocations due to the local governments of Osun State is not an administrative decision or a legal dispute. It is political terrorism by the Bola Tinubu-led APC government carried out with the instruments of the Nigerian state in order to undermine the state government ahead of the coming governorship election," the statement read. The ADC argued that the action would have severe consequences for governance at the grassroots, affecting the payment of workers' salaries, the operation of primary healthcare centres, education, rural infrastructure, and other essential public services.
The opposition party further criticised what it described as the federal government's willingness to sacrifice the welfare of innocent citizens for partisan political ends. "This sinister move confirms that the Tinubu-led Federal Government will do anything, including starving the people of Osun State, to achieve its political objectives. Yet no democracy worthy of the name deliberately sacrifices the welfare of innocent citizens in pursuit of partisan political ends," Abdullahi stated. The ADC also raised concerns about the alleged role of security agencies, accusing them of failing to address acts of violence by political thugs and, in some cases, allegedly providing protection to armed groups linked to the APC.
The dispute over Osun State local government allocations stems from a lingering leadership crisis across the state's 30 local government councils, with conflicting court judgments over the status of elected council officials fuelling a standoff that has now arrived just 14 days before the governorship election. The ADC maintained that opposition-controlled states should not be subjected to federal intimidation and that public institutions do not belong to whichever party temporarily controls the federal government. "Political opponents are not enemy combatants. Opposition-controlled states are not occupied territories. Public institutions do not belong to whichever party temporarily controls the federal government," the party said.
The ADC called for the immediate restoration of all statutory allocations due to Osun's local governments, an end to what it described as federal intimidation of the state, and the restoration of constitutional order. "The people of Osun deserve the democratic right to freely choose who governs them. Right now, they have been placed under a siege. This rascality has to stop," the party added. The statement comes amid escalating political tensions in Osun State, where the ruling Accord Party and the opposition APC have traded accusations of violence, intimidation, and electoral manipulation ahead of the crucial off-cycle governorship election. As the August 15 poll draws nearer, the ADC's warning has added significant weight to the growing chorus of opposition voices demanding accountability and transparency from federal authorities.
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