The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has taken a strong stand against the Federal Government’s muted response to last week’s dramatic events in Venezuela, describing Nigeria’s official silence as “embarrassing” and symptomatic of a deeper crisis of leadership and legitimacy in the country’s foreign policy.
In a statement issued on Monday by Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, National Publicity Secretary of the ADC, the party condemned the Federal Government for failing to comment publicly on the United States’ arrest and rendition of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, a crisis that has drawn global attention and heated debate.
According to the ADC, a U.S. military-led operation, authorised and overseen by U.S. President Donald J. Trump, resulted in the arrest of President Maduro, who was subsequently airlifted to New York City to face charges related to alleged “drug trafficking and arms offences.”
The ADC criticised the Federal Government’s failure to respond publicly, noting that most major nations and international organisations had already issued statements on the crisis. The party singled out Nigeria’s lack of engagement as “a further indication that Nigeria, under President Tinubu, has lost both voice and standing on the international stage.”
“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…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,” the ADC said in its statement.
While the ADC reiterated its support for the principles of national sovereignty and non-interference, as enshrined in Articles 2(1) and 2(4) of the United Nations Charter, it argued that these 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 party also pointed to the visible wave of public support that followed in parts of Venezuela after Maduro’s arrest, suggesting that such reactions indicated a profound legitimacy crisis within the Venezuelan regime.
In its blunt assessment, the ADC said the Tinubu-led Federal Government’s silence spoke louder than words, concluding that it was not a neutral stance but a sign of moral and diplomatic weakness.
“This silence by the APC-led Bola Tinubu administration is a further indication that Nigeria…has lost both voice and standing on the international stage,” the party argued.
The statement described the omission as a moral crisis that undermines the government’s legitimacy to take any principled stance on anything. The ADC insisted that Nigeria, as Africa’s most populous democracy, should not be “conspicuously absent” at a moment when the world is confronting difficult global questions around democracy, sovereignty and accountability.
The ADC framed the Venezuelan crisis as a cautionary tale relevant not just for Caracas but for democracies worldwide, including Nigeria. The party said the situation highlighted the dangers of flawed elections and eroded public trust in governance.
“In this context, the ADC believes that the situation in Venezuela is a cautionary tale to all dictators, including the supposedly elected ones, and election riggers everywhere.”
