Chief Martin Onovo, the 2015 presidential candidate of the National Conscience Party (NCP), has launched a scathing attack against the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), accusing the party of being the principal architect behind Nigeria’s spiraling insecurity and terrorism crisis.
In a detailed statement shared exclusively with SaharaReporters on March 3, 2026, Onovo asserted that the APC not only fails to combat terrorist networks but actively sponsors and protects them. He called the belief that the ruling party would fight terror while allegedly harboring ties to violent groups “naïve,” citing multiple high-profile examples that expose what he terms the party’s complicity in violence across the country.
Onovo drew attention to controversial remarks from key political figures aligned with the APC. He cited former President Gen. Muhammadu Buhari’s assertion that “Attack against Boko Haram is attack against the North” — a statement that Onovo says legitimizes and politicizes terrorism. Additionally, he referenced Vice President Kashim Shettima’s call for “amnesty” for Boko Haram insurgents in May 2025, arguing that such overtures undermine genuine counterterrorism efforts and serve to protect violent extremists.
In support of his claims, Onovo pointed to testimonies from well-known military insiders, including retired Gen. Theophilus Danjuma, who accused the Armed Forces of collusion with armed bandits responsible for widespread killings of civilians. Similarly, Kunle Olawunmi, a retired Navy Commodore and former Military Attaché to France, revealed that government agencies not only know the identities of terrorist sponsors but remain inactive, implying a deliberate cover-up.
Highlighting government priorities, Onovo sharply contrasted the swift and robust federal response to a recent coup attempt in neighboring Benin Republic with what he described as the “apathetic” and ineffective approach toward Nigeria’s ongoing terrorism crisis, which has persisted for over 50 months without decisive resolution.
Onovo also pointed to recent court rulings as damning evidence—including a Dubai court conviction implicating senior APC figures in financing terrorist activities. Most notably, he referenced the confession of Alhaji Kawu Baraje, a founding APC leader, allegedly admitting that the party “imported Fulani terrorists” to influence the 2015 general elections.
Concluding his indictment, Chief Onovo declared that these revelations leave “no reasonable doubt” that the APC is the direct sponsor and enabler of the insecurity plaguing Nigeria. He warned that unless urgent, transparent measures are taken to break these criminal networks within the government, the country faces a protracted cycle of violence that threatens its very survival.
