Odimmegwa Johnpeter/Abuja
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has strongly denied allegations linking it to a reported shooting involving members of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Edo State, describing the accusation as premature, baseless and politically motivated.
This was contained in a statement issued on Thursday and signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka whereby the ruling party faulted the ADC for allegedly accusing the APC of responsibility for the incident even before the conclusion of any security investigation.
According to APC, the opposition party’s claim demonstrated disregard for due process and raised concerns about its capacity to manage sensitive national issues.
The statement further noted that the ADC acted as “accuser, investigator, prosecutor and judge” by reaching conclusions ahead of law enforcement findings, a move the APC described as irresponsible and misleading.
The party further criticised the ADC’s reference to alleged acts of terrorism by the APC, describing the claim as reckless and insensitive, particularly in view of ongoing national efforts against terrorism and the sacrifices of Nigerian security personnel.
The statement added: “Violence of any kind in our political space is unacceptable and must be condemned by all well-meaning Nigerians,”
While condemning the reported shooting incident in Edo State, the APC called on the police and other relevant security agencies to conduct a thorough and speedy investigation to identify and prosecute those responsible.
The ruling party also urged investigators to examine alleged internal disputes within the ADC, claiming that leadership and factional struggles within the opposition party could provide useful leads.
The APC maintained that it had no involvement whatsoever in the incident, stressing that it remained focused on governance and consolidating what it described as recent electoral victories in the Federal Capital Territory municipal elections as well as constituency polls in Rivers and Kano states.
“We are too busy taking stock of our recent big wins… to pay attention to a fringe and inconsequential meeting of ADC political wanderers in Edo State,” the statement added
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