Our reporter
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has fired back at the Edo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC), declaring that the Permanent Voter Card (PVC) is more powerful than an AK-47 and vowing to defeat the ruling party in the 2027 general elections.
The opposition party accused the APC of relying on threats, intimidation and political blackmail, insisting that no amount of coercion would stop Nigerians from voting against what it described as failed leadership and worsening hardship.
The ADC made its position known on Saturday during an enlarged senatorial meeting involving ward, local government and senatorial leaders in Ewohimi, Esan South-East Local Government Area of Edo State, where its candidates for the State and National Assembly elections in Edo Central Senatorial District were unveiled.
The meeting also witnessed the defection of members of the APC, New Democratic Congress (NDC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the ADC, as the party intensified its mobilisation ahead of the 2027 elections.
Speaking at the gathering, former governorship aspirant and ADC stalwart, Barrister Kenneth Imansuagbon, who represented the party’s National Leader and former Edo State Governor, Professor Oserhiemen Osunbor, expressed confidence that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar would emerge as Nigeria’s next president.
Imansuagbon blamed the APC-led government for the economic hardship, poor road infrastructure and insecurity confronting Nigerians, arguing that the growing dissatisfaction with the ruling party would translate into electoral defeat in 2027.
“ADC will win the 2027 election and Atiku Abubakar will be the next president because the APC has failed Nigerians. Nigerians are tired of the suffering in the land, tired of poor road infrastructure and tired of insecurity,” he said.
He cited his journey from Benin City to Ewohimi as an example of the deteriorating road infrastructure, claiming that a trip that previously took 45 minutes under the PDP administration now required more than five hours.
Reacting to a viral video allegedly showing Edo APC Chairman, Jarrett Tenebe, making references to an AK-47, Imansuagbon insisted that the ADC would not be intimidated, stressing that the electorate remained the ultimate force in a democracy.
“What we have is not the guns. They have said they have the AK-47, but we have the people. With our PVC, APC will be sent packing,” he declared.
He warned against electoral manipulation, insisting that Nigerians would resist any attempt to undermine their votes.
“If they think they can rig the election, they are living in a fool’s paradise. Nigerians will be ready to defend democracy and the votes of the Nigerian people,” he added.
The ADC chieftain also predicted the defeat of Governor Monday Okpebholo in Edo Central, dismissing the APC’s reported projection of 2.5 million votes for President Bola Tinubu as unrealistic.
“In Edo Central, I can tell you that Okpebholo will be defeated because the people are with us. The 2.5 million votes promised Tinubu is a smokescreen. We want Tinubu to know that Okpebholo is deceiving the President. Nobody can rig our election,” Imansuagbon said.
He further described Atiku as the most prepared presidential candidate, arguing that the former vice president had the capacity to restore hope and address the country’s mounting challenges.
Also speaking, Edo State ADC Chairman, Tony Alile, declared that threats would not prevent eligible voters from exercising their constitutional rights, urging security agencies to investigate the viral video allegedly featuring Tenebe’s reference to an AK-47.
“Nobody can discourage or stop voters from coming out to exercise their franchise. It is their civic responsibility, and it is not in our Constitution that a private citizen can brandish a machine gun, which he mentioned as AK-47,” Alile said.
He added that he expected law enforcement agencies to examine the video and take appropriate action where necessary.
Alile, who formally received the defectors into the ADC, called on Edo residents dissatisfied with the APC administration to use their PVCs to express their grievances at the polls.
“The weapon ADC has is 200 times bigger and smarter than the AK-47 the other man mentioned, and that weapon is called the PVC. If you are tired of the hunger and suffering in the land, I don’t need to tell you to use your PVC as your weapon against this government that has no heart,” he said.
The state chairman urged party leaders at the ward and polling unit levels to intensify grassroots mobilisation, stressing that the ADC’s electoral prospects would depend on collective commitment and sustained engagement with voters.
Prominent party figures at the meeting included Tony Alile, Kenneth Imansuagbon, Hon. Sylvester Ewanehi, Hon. Braimoh, Chief Emmanuel Ihiahi, Stella Ali, ADC Edo Central senatorial candidate Hon. Herberta Okonofua, and Engr. Barnabas Odion.
The party called on Edo voters to support Atiku Abubakar and the ADC in the 2027 general elections, presenting the opposition platform as an alternative to the APC-led government.
The ADC’s declaration sets the stage for an increasingly fierce political contest in Edo State, with the party banking on voter dissatisfaction, defections and grassroots mobilisation to challenge the APC’s hold on power.
