ADC links Nigeria’s silence on Venezuela to crisis of ‘legitimacy’

By Luminous Jannamike

ABUJA – The African Democratic Congress, ADC, has said Nigeria’s failure to respond to the reported action by the United States against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro exposes a crisis of legitimacy and moral authority under the Bola Tinubu administration.

The party said the development serves as a warning to governments that lack legitimacy and signals that authoritarian leaders and election riggers can no longer rely on national borders to shield stolen mandates from international scrutiny.

The position was contained in a statement by the ADC National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi.

“The African Democratic Congress (ADC) considers the Saturday’s action by the United States Government to arrest the President of Venezuela, Nicholas Maduro and his wife as a clear warning that sends a strong message to the Nigerian government and any other government that lacks legitimacy,” Abdullahi said.

Beyond the warning to Nigeria, the party outlined its position on international law, stressing that the principles of sovereignty and non-interference must not be exploited to protect repression or electoral fraud.

Abdullahi said, “ADC strongly supports the principles of sanctity of national sovereignty and non-interference in internal affairs of another country as enshrined in Articles 2(1) and 2(4) of the United Nations Charter, principles that underpin global peace and order.

“Nevertheless, we maintain that these international governance doctrines that were ordinarily designed to maintain global order should not be invoked to provide a safe haven for tyranny, electoral fraud, or the systematic denial of a people’s right to freely choose their leaders.

“It is public knowledge that the 2024 Venezuela presidential elections were widely condemned as illegitimate and deeply flawed by nine governments across Latin America, the European Union, and international democratic institutions, all pointing to a process marked by fraud, repression and exclusion.”

According to the party, the ethical collapse of governance in Venezuela culminated in mass migration that has undermined regional stability.

While acknowledging that the U.S. action raises serious questions under international law, the ADC said the reaction within Venezuela reveals a deeper legitimacy crisis.

Turning to Nigeria, the party criticised the federal government’s silence more than 48 hours after the development, describing it as embarrassing and damaging to the country’s international standing.

“ADC also considers as deeply embarrassing that more than 48 hours after the situation in Venezuela, the Nigerian government is yet to react in any way.

“Let’s be clear, that the Nigerian government has chosen silence in this moment has nothing to do with neutrality. It instead, reveals a government that lacks confidence simply because it lacks integrity,” Abdullahi said.

The ADC maintained that the situation in Venezuela is a cautionary tale to authoritarian leaders worldwide, insisting that sovereignty must reflect the will of the people, not merely the survival of a regime.

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