Calls for Scrutiny Grow After Edo APC Chairman Invokes ‘AK-47’ Rhetoric Ahead of 2027

A sharp escalation in aggressive political rhetoric has sparked public concern in Nigeria after Jarret Tenebe, the Edo State chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), warned that anyone attempting to thwart the party’s 2027 presidential campaign goals would face gunfire. According to a report by Daily Post Nigeria, the remarks were made publicly during a post-local council election gathering of party supporters in Benin City.

The Benin City Remarks and Electoral Ambitions

Addressing party loyalists, Tenebe referenced a pledge by Edo State Governor Monday Okpebholo to secure 2.5 million votes for President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 election. Tenebe asserted that the party had already demonstrated significant turnout by purportedly gathering 2,158,600 votes in the state’s recent local government council elections, calling the figure an unprecedented milestone.

However, his address escalated into direct threats against potential political adversaries. Tenebe warned that anyone attempting to obstruct the party’s vote-mobilisation efforts would face armed force, declaring to the crowd that obstacles to the president’s targeted ballot count would be met with “AK-47 fire.”

Kano Incident and Questions of Enforcement

The remarks have drawn swift condemnation and accusations of inciting further violence. Daily Post Nigeria reported that following Tenebe’s public threat, a candidate for the Kano State House of Assembly on the Nigeria Democratic Party platform, Aminu Abdullahi Warkal, was recorded leaning from a moving vehicle while displaying a firearm and declaring a readiness to match aggression with aggression.

The Kano State Police Command intervened quickly in Warkal’s case. Police spokesperson Abdullahi Kiyawa confirmed that Kano State Police Commissioner Ibrahim Adamu Bakori ordered Warkal in for interrogation at command headquarters in Bompai. Kiyawa emphasized that the unauthorized display of firearms breaches the Firearms Act and risks destabilizing public order, warning that thuggery and intimidation would face zero tolerance regardless of political status.

Civil Society and Opposition Demand Investigation

The swift action taken against Warkal has intensified scrutiny over the lack of formal action regarding Tenebe’s earlier speech. Kennedy Iyere, a civil society activist and the 2027 Accord Party senatorial candidate for Edo Central, submitted a formal petition urging the Department of State Services (DSS) in Edo State to apprehend, interrogate, and require a public retraction from Tenebe. Iyere warned that ignoring such violent threats threatens national stability and could spark unrest.

Critiques also emerged from opposition voices such as Lagos-based politician Ganiyu James, who cautioned against an apparent double standard where ruling party figures escape questioning for incendiary speech while opposition figures are quickly summoned. Analysts cited by Daily Post Nigeria noted this comes alongside a broader pattern of hostile rhetoric across several states, including recent contentious remarks in Borno, Yobe, Osun, and the Federal Capital Territory.

A Volatile Road to 2027

With general elections still well ahead, civic leaders and observers warn that unpunished threats of physical violence risk normalizing armed intimidation during campaigns. Whether federal security agencies will act on petitions against Tenebe remains unconfirmed, but calls persist across civil society to enforce election safety laws uniformly to avoid violence in future ballots.

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p class=”vbna-source-note”>Source: Daily Post Nigeria

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