FEAR OF A BILLBOARD: Delta APC Chair Accused of Desperate Power-Grab as NDC Exposes Shocking Pattern of Political Intimidation

In a blistering press conference, Delta NDC Chairman Richman Angiamaowei lays bare the ruling party’s “perilous deployment” of state machinery against opposition—demanding to know: What exactly are they afraid of?

ASABA — In a scathing address that pulled no punches, the Delta State Chairman of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Chief Hon. Richman Oyindoubra Angiamaowei, PhD, has accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) of weaponizing state power and incumbency to suppress legitimate political competition, warning that “democracy itself is being imperilled” in the state.

The dramatic press conference, held in Asaba, comes amid reports of widespread destruction of NDC campaign materials in Bomadi and Isoko South Local Government Areas—alleged acts Angiamaowei described not as petty vandalism, but as “an attack on the democratic space itself.”

“A billboard cannot vote. A banner cannot vote. A poster cannot vote,” Angiamaowei thundered, his voice rising with indignation. “Only the Nigerian people possess the sovereign authority to vote. The ballot belongs to the people, and neither government nor political party has the legitimate authority to determine which political voices Nigerians may hear.”

The NDC chairman directly named APC-affiliated local government chairmen in the alleged incidents: Mr. Dagidi Lawrence Adaye in Bomadi and Mr. Warri Friday Voke in Isoko South—demanding they be investigated and held accountable “according to the law.”

‘If You Are Popular, Campaign’

In perhaps the most damning section of his address, Angiamaowei turned his fire on the APC’s apparent fear of competition, posing a series of rhetorical questions that cut to the heart of the ruling party’s alleged insecurity:

“If you are popular, campaign. If you are confident, persuade. If you believe you have performed, face the people,” he declared. “Do not deploy the machinery of government against political competitors.”

The NDC chairman challenged the APC to engage in actual democratic competition rather than suppression: “If we erect a billboard, let the APC erect a more compelling one. If we convene a rally, let them organise a larger rally. If we publish a manifesto, let them publish a superior manifesto. If our candidates are weak, defeat them at the ballot box.”

He concluded the section with a devastating observation: “But pulling down our billboards does not defeat our ideas. Destroying our banners does not destroy our message. Intimidating our supporters does not eliminate their convictions. And deploying incumbency against opposition does not make the incumbent more popular. It only raises more questions.”

Karl Marx Invoked in Warning on Inequality

In a remarkable departure from standard political rhetoric, Angiamaowei invoked the writings of Karl Marx to contextualize the growing alienation of Nigerian citizens, warning that “when people perceive injustice, exploitation, poverty and inequality,” the danger becomes not merely economic but “political, social, and psychological.”

“The political and social writings of Karl Marx remain instructive when examining societies characterised by inequality, exploitation, poverty and the concentration of power,” he stated, pointing to the widening gulf between those who exercise political power and “the people who bear the consequences of government decisions.”

This alienation, he warned, could drive citizens away from the ballot box entirely—a development he described as potentially catastrophic for Nigerian democracy.

‘Do Not Tell the People to Keep Quiet’

Angiamaowei delivered a stirring rebuke to those who would silence critics: “There is a dangerous tendency in our society to tell citizens to remain quiet whenever they complain about injustice. We reject that mentality.”

He called on Nigerians to resist intimidation through peaceful, lawful, and organised means: “Rise through civic participation. Rise through public accountability. Rise through lawful protest. Rise through political organisation. Rise through the ballot.”

“The strongest resistance to political intimidation is an informed and determined electorate,” he declared.

‘Delta State Must Not Become a Theatre of Incumbency-Driven Crisis’

The NDC chairman warned that continued political intimidation could push frustrated citizens to abandon the electoral process entirely, creating conditions for “avoidable social tension.”

“When government fails to inspire confidence, when citizens perceive institutions as partisan, and when legitimate political competition appears to be frustrated by incumbency, people may begin to ask: Why should I participate if my voice will not matter?” he cautioned. “That question should frighten every genuine democrat.”

He called on security agencies to remain impartial and “unwaveringly faithful to the Constitution,” stressing: “There must be one law for everybody. The rule of law cannot become meaningful if it is selectively applied.”

‘Do Not Use Incumbency to Silence Competition’

Addressing the APC directly, Angiamaowei issued a sobering reminder: “Political parties will come and go. Governments will come and go. Office holders will come and go. But Nigeria will remain.”

“The real test of democracy is not whether the ruling party can defeat the opposition. The real test is whether those in power can tolerate the opposition. The real test is whether the government can allow its critics to speak. The real test is whether citizens can freely compare competing political alternatives. The real test is whether an incumbent can peacefully accept defeat when the people say, ‘It is time for change.'”

He concluded with a defiant declaration: “Let nobody mistake our commitment to peace for weakness. Let nobody mistake our civility for fear. Let nobody mistake our restraint for surrender.”

NDC FINAL DECLARATION

DEMOCRACY MUST NOT BE INTIMIDATED.
THE PEOPLE MUST NOT BE SILENCED.
OPPOSITION MUST NOT BE CRIMINALISED.
GOVERNMENT ACTIONS THAT UNDERMINE LEGITIMATE POLITICAL COMPETITION MUST BE CONDEMNED OUTRIGHTLY.
INCUMBENCY MUST NEVER BECOME A WEAPON AGAINST THE PEOPLE.
PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS MUST SERVE THE PEOPLE, NOT PARTISAN INTERESTS.
CITIZENS MUST NOT LOSE FAITH IN THE BALLOT BOX.
LET THE PEOPLE SPEAK. LET THE PEOPLE CHOOSE. LET DEMOCRACY PREVAIL.

The Nigeria Democratic Congress has vowed to continue its lawful resistance through “constitutional and peaceful means,” insisting that “we shall continue to speak. We shall continue to organise. We shall continue to mobilise. We shall continue to engage the people. And we shall continue to insist that the people’s democratic rights must be respected.”