APC Violence in Lagos state: Say No to Intimidation – Otunba Babatunde Olushola Senbanjo

By Otunba Babatunde Olushola Senbanjo (BOS)

What happened in Lagos, where hoodlums were unleashed to disrupt and intimidate a lawful LP–ADC political event, is a clear indictment of the APC-led government and a dangerous signal of where Nigeria’s democracy is headed. This is no longer politics; this is state-enabled intimidation, and it exposes the ruling party’s growing fear of opposition, accountability, and the Nigerian people.

Lagos has long been marketed as a so-called “Centre of Excellence,” yet under APC dominance it has increasingly become a theatre of political oppression, where dissenting voices are silenced not through ideas or performance, but through chaos, violence, and fear. When opposition parties cannot hold peaceful gatherings without being attacked by hoodlums who operate freely and without consequence, then we must stop pretending we are practising democracy.

This is not a democracy.
Let us be clear: No group of hoodlums acts with such confidence unless they are protected, sponsored, or tolerated by those in power. The repeated use of street violence against opposition parties in Lagos is not accidental; it is a deliberate APC strategy to shrink political space, suppress alternative voices, and maintain power at all costs. This is how democracies die not overnight, but through the normalisation of intimidation.
The irony is painful. A party that claims to be progressive now fears competition.

A government that boasts of democratic credentials now relies on thugs instead of policies. If APC truly believed in its record, it would welcome opposition and defend its performance in open debate, not attack citizens exercising their constitutional rights.

This incident should worry every Nigerian, not just LP or ADC supporters.

Today it is one opposition party; tomorrow it could be civil society groups, journalists, labour unions, or ordinary citizens demanding accountability. ‘An injury to democracy anywhere is a threat to democracy everywhere.’

We must also ask: Where were the security agencies?
Why are arrests rare when opposition events are attacked, but swift when citizens protest against hunger, bad governance, or corruption?

Why does the law suddenly go silent when APC interests are involved?

These questions expose a deeper crisis the capture of state institutions by partisan interests. When security agencies appear selective in their duty, democracy becomes hollow, and elections become rituals rather than genuine expressions of the people’s will.

As we approach 2027, Nigerians must open their eyes. The signs are already there. Intimidation, suppression, propaganda, and violence are being tested and normalised ahead of the next general election. If citizens remain silent now, the cost later will be much higher.

This is a moment for courage, not fear.

A moment for unity across party lines in defence of democracy.
A moment to insist that Nigeria belongs to all Nigerians, not one party, not one state, not one political cartel.

We must say it loudly and clearly:
*Say NO to intimidation*.
*Say NO to political violence.*
*Say NO to one-party dominance disguised as democracy.*

Nigerians deserve free political participation, free assembly, free speech, and free choice not a system where power is enforced by fear and maintained by thugs.

2027 is coming. The people must be ready mentally, morally, and democratically. History will remember who stood up when democracy was under attack and who chose silence.

Democracy must be defended. Lagos must not become a blueprint for tyranny. Nigeria must not bow to fear.