The Imo State Chairman of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), James Okoroma, has accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of orchestrating the recent attack on former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, warning that such acts of violence threaten Nigeria’s democratic stability.
Speaking on Arise News on Thursday, Okoroma alleged that the APC, worried about the growing influence of the ADC, sponsored hoodlums to disrupt an event El-Rufai attended in Kaduna.
Okoroma said investigations by his party revealed that the attack was premeditated and financially backed by those intent on intimidating the opposition.
“I cannot tell you the figures behind it or the persons behind it. But from our own independent investigations, it is actually the handwork of the APC. The APC that is bothered about the growing political influence of the African Democratic Congress,” he alleged.
The ADC chieftain insisted the violence was not spontaneous but carefully staged.
“The hoodlums who came, from what we gathered, were even paid. I was there. Buses were hired. Somebody paid for those buses. Somebody motivated those people who came. The placards they displayed were also paid for. People spent money to procure the equipment they used,” he said.
Okoroma described the incident as part of a disturbing pattern of political violence in the country, adding that targeting El-Rufai, now an influential figure within the ADC coalition, could destabilise the political landscape.
He urged the APC-led Federal Government to focus on fixing the economy, tackling poverty and addressing insecurity instead of allegedly sponsoring attacks on opponents.
“The APC-led government should be fixing the economy, tackling poverty, and improving infrastructure instead of attacking opponents,” he warned.
Naija News reports that the allegations come barely a week after El-Rufai petitioned the Police Service Commission (PSC), accusing senior officers of the Kaduna State Police Command of gross misconduct and collusion with political thugs.
In a petition dated September 8, 2025, El-Rufai alleged that police officers stood by while he and other opposition politicians were attacked during a meeting in Kaduna on August 30.
“I am writing as a citizen of Nigeria and former governor of Kaduna State to formally lodge this complaint and demand an immediate, impartial, and exhaustive investigation into the unlawful and unconstitutional conduct of the Commissioner of Police and some officers of the Kaduna State Police Command,” the petition read in part.
El-Rufai and six other senior members of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) were subsequently invited by the police for questioning over allegations of criminal conspiracy, incitement, and public disturbance, further heightening political tension in the state.
However, Okoroma has maintained that the ADC would not be intimidated.
“Those in power must allow democracy to thrive. Violence against opponents is dangerous, unacceptable, and will only worsen the country’s fragile stability,” he concluded.
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