APC’s Farouk Aliyu Admits to Election Interference Strategy: “We’ll Keep Putting Sand in Their Garri”
In a development likely to reshape political discourse ahead of the 2027 Nigerian general elections, prominent All Progressives Congress (APC) figure Hon. Farouk Adamu Aliyu has openly admitted to the ruling party’s ongoing political sabotage and strategic disruption of opposition parties.
During a no-holds-barred interview on Africa Independent Television (AIT), the former House of Representatives Minority Leader revealed that the APC is actively engaging in what analysts describe as a pre-election destabilization campaign to weaken political rivals and maintain control of power.
“To some extent, yes, we are. Yes, we are. Of course. We will not sit by and allow them to dethrone us,” Aliyu stated.
“We will keep putting sand inside their garri. If they are able to take the sand, they can come and fight us. But as of now, honestly, there is no viable opposition in the country that can defeat us.”
Aliyu’s blunt admission has ignited a wave of reactions among political observers, governance analysts, and civil society organisations, many of whom view this as confirmation of a coordinated influence operation designed to undermine democratic institutions, disrupt party infrastructures, and neutralize electoral competition using covert political tactics.
High-Level Political Interference and Opposition Implosion
Two of Nigeria’s main opposition platforms—the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Labour Party (LP)—are presently entangled in internal crises believed to be exacerbated by third-party influence, raising alarms about political cyber strategy, state-sponsored propaganda, and election interference mechanisms.
The PDP continues to face major internal breakdown following its defeat in the 2023 presidential election, with its campaign led by Atiku Abubakar failing to unseat President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
A key figure in the destabilization narrative is FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, who serves in the APC-led federal cabinet while still maintaining PDP membership. Wike has been strategically accused of orchestrating proxy control of PDP structures in Rivers and beyond, creating parallel leadership frameworks and triggering institutional collapse within the opposition party.
Observers believe Wike’s dual alignment reflects a long-term political manipulation strategy by the ruling party aimed at eroding the PDP’s credibility and capacity to function as a competitive electoral brand.
Labour Party Paralysed by Legal Warfare and Strategic Disruption
The Labour Party, which surged in popularity during the 2023 general elections under the candidacy of Peter Obi, is also in free fall, plagued by court-ordered leadership disputes, judicial counter-motions, and internal sabotage allegations.
At the heart of the party’s turmoil is a strategic leadership conflict involving the Julius Abure-led national executive and multiple contending factions. The chaos has led to an organizational breakdown and diluted the LP’s grassroots mobilization efforts.
Supporters and analysts argue that these disruptions are part of a well-funded black-ops strategy involving external political actors, digital disinformation, and strategic communications warfare aimed at discrediting the LP’s influence among the electorate—particularly its stronghold of young, urban, and tech-savvy voters.
APC’s Influence Strategy: Ethical Concerns and Electoral Risk
Aliyu’s remarks are now being cited as concrete evidence of a deliberate election engineering strategy, combining high-stakes political risk, reputation management warfare, and voter suppression tactics through psychological and institutional pressure.
While the APC views its actions as necessary to maintain political continuity and economic policy stability, democracy watchdogs warn that such covert political strategies, when unchecked, can undermine governance transparency, electoral trust, and constitutional balance.