PRESS RELEASE
CUPP CONDEMNS INCESSANT ATTACKS ON OPPOSITION POLITICAL LEADERS, FEDERAL HIGH COURT JUDGMENT AGAINST ADC AN ATTEMPT TO STIFLE OPPOSITION
E-ISSN: 2354-4481
By Rita Onuoha
The Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) strongly condemns the recurring attacks, intimidation and obstruction directed at His Excellency, Mr Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), and calls on the Federal Government and relevant security agencies to urgently arrest this dangerous development before it degenerates into a national democratic crisis.
The latest incident occurred on Wednesday, November 4, 2026, at approximately 2:20 p.m., around Watt Market Roundabout, Calabar, Cross River State. This was while Mr Obi's convoy was returning from the palace of the Obong of Calabar to Metropolitan Hotel, the venue of the NDC presidential town hall meeting. Suspected hoodlums reportedly armed with machetes and sticks attacked vehicles in the convoy, damaging windscreens. We acknowledge the subsequent police announcement of an arrest and demand that investigations be pursued to their logical conclusion.
CUPP is particularly disturbed that this incident comes against the backdrop of other troubling experiences involving Mr Obi. On February 24, 2026, he and other opposition leaders, including Chief John Oyegun, were reportedly attacked by armed men who fired gunshots shortly after an ADC gathering in Benin City, Edo State. Similarly, on September 8, 2026, his convoy was obstructed by a mob along Gboko Road in Makurdi, Benue State, during a visit intended to sympathise with victims of the Yelwata killings. The Benue State Government denied involvement, and the circumstances warrant impartial investigation.
These incidents must not become a new normal in Nigeria's political environment.
CUPP recalls that Mr Peter Obi and Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso are the presidential and vice-presidential candidates of the NDC for the 2027 general elections. Both are former governors of Anambra and Kano States respectively and have the constitutional right, like every other Nigerian, to participate freely in democratic competition.
CUPP's Position on the ADC Judgment
CUPP expresses concern over the November 5, 2026, Federal High Court judgment, presided over by Justice Peter Lifu, which nullified the Senator David Mark-led ADC leadership and invalidated decisions taken under it, including the process that produced Atiku Abubakar as its 2027 presidential candidate. While respecting judicial independence, CUPP stresses the importance of impartiality, fairness and public confidence in the administration of justice.
CUPP maintains that a strong, independent opposition is essential to multiparty democracy, accountability and good governance. It therefore urges the judiciary to uphold justice, fairness and constitutionalism, ensuring that political disputes are resolved without undermining opposition parties' democratic rights or their opportunity to compete for power.
We therefore demand:
A comprehensive, independent and transparent investigation into the Calabar attack.
The prosecution of every individual found culpable, including sponsors and financiers of political violence, irrespective of political affiliation or status.
Adequate security guarantees for opposition candidates, their supporters and party officials throughout the forthcoming campaign season.
An unequivocal guarantee of freedom of movement, association, expression, peaceful assembly and political campaigning for all Nigerians.
Regarding the ADC case, which is now heading to the Court of Appeal, it is important that the Honourable Justices uphold the ethics of the legal profession and place the national interest above all other considerations, ensuring that their judgment is based strictly on the merits of the evidence presented before them.
Sections 39, 40 and 41 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), respectively guarantee freedom of expression, association and movement. Furthermore, Sections 95, 96 and 97 of the Electoral Act, 2026, provide for security at political rallies, prohibit the organisation of groups for political violence and criminalise threats or the use of force during political campaigns.
The deployment of political thugs to intimidate opposition parties is a cancerous threat to our democracy. It is a dangerous substance capable of destroying the democratic gains Nigeria has struggled to preserve since the return to civil rule in 1999.
More disturbing is the possibility that the continued normalisation of political violence could provoke retaliatory violence against members and supporters of the ruling party. Such a development would be catastrophic. No political party has a monopoly on violence, and no responsible government should allow political competition to become a contest of intimidation and physical confrontation. We must prevent this dangerous cycle rather than wait for it to consume the nation.
CUPP therefore calls on the Federal Government to rescue itself from this growing democratic embarrassment by demonstrating impartiality, protecting every political actor and ensuring that the 2027 elections are determined by the votes of Nigerians, not the intimidation of political opponents.
Nigeria belongs to all of us. Opposition is not a crime, and political disagreement must never become a death sentence.
Signed:
Comr. Agu Diamond Bryan
Spokesperson
Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP)
