The African Democratic Congress (ADC) on Sunday blasted Governor Umar Bago of Niger State for shutting down Badeggi FM “with immediate effect,” calling it a dangerous slide into authoritarianism.

“This is a brazen assault on press freedom and a throwback to military dictatorship,” the party said in a blistering statement.

The ADC also cited Gov. Okpebholo’s recent remarks declaring LP’s Peter Obi persona non grata in Edo as part of a worrying pattern among APC governors who “mistake elected office for emperorship.”

According to the ADC, only the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), under Section 2(1)(b) of its Act, has the authority to sanction a station—not a state governor.

“Governor Bago must be reminded: you were elected by the people whose voices you now want to silence,” the statement read. “Today it’s Badeggi FM. Tomorrow it could be a newspaper, a journalist, or even a tweet.”

The ADC demanded the immediate unsealing of the station, an independent probe into the use of security agents for political retaliation, and legislative safeguards to protect media independence.