The African Democratic Congress, ADC, has said the action taken by the United States President, Donald Trump against Venezuela’s President, Nicolas Maduro, is a clear lesson for Nigeria and other governments it described as lacking legitimacy.
The party said Nigeria’s silence on the issue is embarrassing and suggests fear on the part of President Bola Tinubu.
In a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC said it believes in national sovereignty and non-interference, but warned that these principles should not be used to shield bad governance.
According to the party, “ADC strongly supports the principles of the sanctity of national sovereignty and non-interference in the internal affairs of another country.”
However, it added, “these international governance doctrines, 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.”
The ADC said Venezuela’s 2024 presidential election was widely condemned by countries in Latin America, the European Union and other democratic institutions.
“It is public knowledge that the 2024 Venezuela presidential elections were widely condemned as illegitimate and deeply flawed,” the party said, adding that the process was marked by fraud, repression, and exclusion.
The party claimed opposition figures were blocked from contesting, protests were violently suppressed, and state institutions were turned against citizens.
According to the ADC, the outcome of this crisis included mass migration that threatened regional stability.
While admitting that U.S. intervention raises legal concerns, the party said one key issue stands out.
“The visible wave of popular public support that followed within Venezuela speaks to a deeper crisis of legitimacy of the Maduro government,” the statement said.
The ADC also criticised the Nigerian government for failing to react to the developments.
“ADC considers it deeply embarrassing that more than 48 hours after the situation in Venezuela, the Nigerian government is yet to react in any way,” it said.
The party argued that the silence of the Tinubu-led administration shows Nigeria has “lost both voice and standing on the international stage.”
It added, “this silence reflects the government’s moral crisis, which removes its legitimacy to take a principled stand on anything.”
The ADC concluded that sovereignty must reflect the will of the people, not just the survival of those in power.
“The world is watching, and contrived mandates will no longer find a place to hide,” the statement said.
