Opposition Attacks Rising as Nigeria Heads Toward 2027 Elections

By: Abudu Olalekan

A shift sits on the horizon. Yet it feels heavy, not bright.

In parts of Nigeria, opposition groups see trouble ahead. Attacks target their top figures. Offices go up in flames instead. Meetings get broken up without warning. This unrest hits hard, just months before election campaigns officially kick off for 2027.

Fights broke out last week across cities like Kaduna, Kano, and Lagos, also hitting parts of Kogi, Edo, Rivers. Blame now lands on the All Progressives Congress – that’s the claim made by rival groups such as the ADC, PDP, NNPP, and LP. Not accidents, they argue. More like pressure tactics. Silent threats woven into chaos. Their belief. It’s about shrinking competition ahead of election season.

Folks whispering about the APC – shrug it off like yesterday’s news. Cracks inside their own ranks? Not on their watch, they claim. Rival groups tearing each other apart? Sure, but that’s not their drama. Whatever mess unfolds – they’re already standing ten steps away.

Here’s what matters. Attacks still happen. Worries grow because of that.

“They Want Only One Candidate Standing in 2027”

Bolaji Abdullahi, serving as the ADC’s National Publicity Secretary, let his thoughts out freely during a chat with Reportersroom. He did not pause or soften his words.

“It is part of an intimidation strategy,” he said. Plain and simple.

He says the ruling party is desperate to control things by 2027 – only President Bola Tinubu should remain. Many governors have been brought on board already. Next comes force. Though quiet at first, now it’s loud.

“The violence you are seeing is meant to intimidate our members so that they will not even be able to attend meetings or organise themselves,” Abdullahi explained.

That day in Rivers left marks on the ground where men stormed the ADC office. As Rotimi Amaechi arrived for registration, chaos broke loose. Over in Edo, voices inside a room fell silent once intruders appeared. While party members sat together, danger stepped through the door. Not chance, he said flat out. Each event fits something wider. A shape forms across places.

What is the ADC tackling this with?

“We are compiling and documenting every case of assault and damages,” Abdullahi said. “We will write to the African Union Court of Human Rights and the ECOWAS Court of Justice. We will also petition major embassies and high commissions in Nigeria.”

He added that members would not be discouraged. “Nigerians know that the current situation has brought the country to its knees. It cannot continue this way for another four years.”

Hard to say if actions follow. Words pack a punch, yet outcomes stay unclear.

Pdp Notes Presidential Body Language

Not everyone saw it the same way. The PDP’s spokesperson, Ini Ememobong, pointed elsewhere. Instead of words, he focused on how the President carried himself. His take? It wasn’t just what was said – more about how it looked.

“If a President says in front of the National Assembly that he is happy when he sees the opposition crumble, it would therefore suggest that one of the key appraisal issues for state agencies is to ensure that they can decimate leaders of the opposition,” Ememobong told Reportersroom.

He referenced a saying. “Strike the shepherd and the sheep will scatter.”

He says the President’s words sound like permission. Almost as if meant to nudge agencies forward. Toward targeting critics. Not spelled out. Never said aloud. Just there beneath the surface.

“People’s promotion may depend on the unwarranted efforts of state agencies that provoke attacks and persecution of opposition leaders,” he said.

Democracy falters when the opposition fades, Ememobong said. Should it vanish, oversight vanishes too. Balance disappears just as quickly. A working system? Gone before you notice.

“The attempt may be to see how they can delay our members and make them lose focus from working towards ensuring that the ruling party is defeated in 2027. But it will not work.”

Paper trails start now, he mentioned. Legal squads are being formed anyway. Members get contacted soon after. Plans form in response almost instantly. Retreat isn’t part of it, apparently.

NNPP: “Victory Is Not Assured for Them”

Ladipo Johnson from NNPP saw it differently. Because of harsh words coming from APC, he said things got worse.

“It is obvious that their boys on the streets still feel that despite all the hounding and claims of having 30 governors, victory is not assured for them in 2027,” Johnson said.

It struck him how quiet everything stayed after attackers went after ADC members at registration spots. Not a word came from officials then. Later, when Peter Obi and his group faced heat in Edo, again – nothing was said.

“Did anyone in the government say this is bad or this must stop? We haven’t heard anything.”

Johnson says the strategy starts small. Not pushing turnout helps slow things down. Party sign-ups get tangled on purpose. That confusion spreads fast.

“They know that if people come out to vote and parties have time to do proper registration in accordance with the Electoral Act, it won’t be so certain for them,” he said.

Labour Party: “Nigeria First Before Elections”

Nenadi Usman, now leading the Labour Party temporarily, moved carefully. With calm words, she asked everyone to hold back.

From behind a screen of statements issued by Ken Asogawa, Usman admitted things are turning messier by the hour. Over the weekend, clashes reached even those loyal to FCT Minister Nyesom Wike – someone officially on the opposing side.

“So you can understand that the whole thing is looking like it is multifaceted,” she said.

Folks from ADC got hit in Edo state. In Amaechi’s home area, another blow against ADC. Then trouble hits Wike’s circle. Not the same crew each time. But the pattern stays brutal.

“Politicians should restrain themselves honestly because we need to have Nigeria first before we even have elections to contest and positions to occupy,” Usman warned.

What made her wonder was how long it took to arrest people when videos clearly showed weapons in hand during those incidents.

“The people who are doing this thing are not spirits. They are Nigerians. You saw some video clips showing some of these people carrying guns and shooting here and there. If ordinary individuals who are unarmed could film some of these things, I’m wondering why the security agents are not rising up to the occasion.”

Yet there was movement, she observed. One person taken into custody by the DSS over the Edo gunfire incident. Maybe – just maybe – that act slows others down.

Oyo State PDP Congress Descends Into Chaos

Chaos showed up in Oyo State just the same.

That Saturday saw the PDP gather in Ibadan for a local council meeting. Run by supporters of Minister Wike, things took a turn. The event fell apart before it could finish.

Out of nowhere, some shady characters crashed the gathering. Cars got smashed – completely wrecked. All around, things spiraled into total disorder.

Now peace within Oyo’s PDP has long since faded. On one edge stand those who back Wike. Opposite them are followers of Governor Seyi Makinde. The clash last Saturday? Merely the newest scene.

Not happy at all was the Social Democratic Party in Oyo. A caution came from state chairman Michael Okunlade.

“We appeal to all political parties within the state to concentrate their campaigns on substantive issues,” he said. “Furthermore, we caution the PDP against turning the state into a battleground in the run-up to the 2027 elections.”

From his position, a warning came through to state police leaders: keep top politicians in check when they try to bend power toward their own ends. Instead of silence, there was expectation – figures in office should act differently, knowing eyes are watching. Power shifts uneasily when those at the front start using it behind closed doors. What matters here is not status but restraint. When authority leans too close to self-interest, someone must lean back.

Edo Secretariat Hit in Two Attacks

A sudden wave of violence shook Edo State one evening. Not long after, another strike hit the same place – the ADC secretariat again. This time, just days apart. Ken Odion spoke about it, sitting quietly in his office. He shared what unfolded with Reportersroom, voice steady but low.

“The first attempt was attempted arson. They came with fuel, destroyed the party flag and other paraphernalia. Some windows were shattered,” he said.

Later that night, trouble hit again while folks gathered at the secretariat. Since fans filled the area, vandals found it hard to torch the main structure. Their next move was wrecking tents along with seating. A music player got attacked, his gear crushed by kicks and stomps. Injuries added up – three caught serious harm.

Yet things moved further.

“The thugs then moved to the residence of our national leader, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun,” Odion continued. “At Chief Oyegun’s house, four vehicles were shattered. They shot into the compound because they thought people were in those vehicles.”

A few people walked away unharmed. Still, the warning hit hard.

Rivers Focus on Amaechi’s Hometown

Fire swallowed the ADC office in Ubima as armed men stormed Rotimi Amaechi’s birthplace. Shots cracked through air, loud enough to scatter neighbors. Smoke rose after flames took hold of walls and roofs. Before they struck, gunfire echoed like warning thunder across the town.

A source close to Amaechi gave details about what happened. The building, according to him, was recently taken over by the party.

“The secretariat was actually attacked and set ablaze by criminal elements on Thursday night,” he said. “The following day, Amaechi’s convoy was attacked around Omuanwa community on his way to Ubima for party registration.”

A group of vigilantes stopped the convoy mid-route. Why they did it is still unknown.

Outrage poured in from Benjamin Ogbogbula when chaos broke out. As head of the Inter-Party Advisory Council in Rivers, he refused to stay silent. Trouble sparked sharp words his way. What followed was a firm rejection of harm in any form. His position made clear: peace must hold.

“This act of attacking political parties’ offices is uncalled for in a democratic setting,” he said. “The police should investigate and apprehend those involved in that dastardly act.”

Adding his thoughts, he said those behind it aimed to wipe out rival groups in the region before 2027 arrives. This crime demands justice; there has to be accountability

APC: “We Had Nothing to Do With It”

Everything gets a flat refusal from the APC.

Fred didn’t just deny it – he laughed at the claims. Then again, truth rarely matters when words fly.

“An arrest has been made already. The person arrested, does he not have an identity? Did the police not interrogate him? Did he say he is a member of the APC? Did he say the APC commissioned him to attack the ADC secretariat?”

He argued that criminal responsibility is personal. “If he did not confess to being a member of the APC, how can anyone ascribe his action to the APC?”

Felix Morka, speaking for APC at the countrywide level, brushed it aside just the same.

“Accusing the APC even before any investigation is carried out by law enforcement is particularly senseless,” he stated. “It shows the ADC as a party that lacks focus and without regard for the due process of law.”

He condemned violence generally. “Violence of any kind in our political space is unacceptable and must be condemned by all well-meaning Nigerians.”

Yet he stressed one thing plainly – the APC won’t carry the fault.

What Happens Next?

With under a year left until the 2027 vote, tempers flare across regions. Though ballots aren’t cast yet, violence hints at deeper unrest below the surface. Election timelines? Already published by INEC. What lies ahead might test national calm like few contests before it.

Nowhere is safe when accusations fly between rivals. Government allies claim it’s just theatrics meant to distract. On street corners, people stand silent, eyes fixed on unfolding chaos. Every day brings fresh claims, louder than the last.

Folks watching closely say letting things go on like this might stir up more conflict. Trust in how elections work may take a hit – down the road, feelings could run deeper. Not everyone sees it coming, yet the strain shows in small ways already.

Now it comes down to if security forces move at all. Could be arrests come next – hard to say. Depends on who finally answers the call.

Maybe this marks only the start.