The African Democratic Congress (ADC), on Monday, said the U.S. military capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro is a strong message to President Bola Tinubu and other illegitimate governments around the world.

Bolaji Abdullahi, spokesperson for the ADC, in a statement on Monday, said, “The African Democratic Congress (ADC) considers Saturday’s action by the United States government to arrest the President of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, and his wife as a clear warning that sends a strong message to the Nigerian government and other governments that lack legitimacy.”

Mr Abdullahi said, though the ADC strongly supports the principles of the sanctity of national sovereignty as enshrined in Articles 2(1) and 2(4) of the United Nations Charter, Mr Maduro’s illegitimate government, characterised by fraudulent elections and repression, cannot be ignored.

“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,” Mr Abdullahi said. 

The ADC spokesperson said under Maduro’s watch “Political opponents were barred from contesting, peaceful protests were met with violence, and state institutions were weaponised against the very citizens they exist to serve,” adding  “international governance doctrines, which 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.” 

Berating Mr Tinubu’s government for being silent since Mr Maduro’s ouster, the ADC spokesperson said, “More than 48 hours after developments in Venezuela, the Nigerian government is yet to react in any way. This silence by the APC-led Bola Tinubu administration is a further indication that Nigeria, under President Tinubu, has lost both its voice and standing on the international stage.”