POLITICAL PULSE: Campaign Attacks Raise Alarm as APC Leads Visibility, ADC Records Highest Negative Sentiment
ABUJA: Reported attacks on the convoy of ADC’s Sokoto governorship candidate and APC supporters at Governor Dikko Radda’s Katsina campaign led Nigeria’s monitored political conversation on 31 October, as APC retained the highest share of coverage at 39.9%, NDC led positive sentiment at 41%, PDP rose to third in visibility at 16.2%, and ADC recorded the highest overall negative sentiment at 24%, according to PRrev.
The Daily Political Pulse is based on PRrev, a PRNigeria media-monitoring and sentiment data tool that tracks political activities, coverage and sentiment across monitored platforms. PRrev analysed 3,951 in-scope items, finding that APC’s X sentiment was its best of the week at 30% positive and 21% negative, while the position of most negatively rated party shifted from APC to ADC.
Other major drivers included a widely viewed post about tablets bearing President Bola Tinubu’s name reportedly found in a Chinese factory, ADC’s criticism of the monthly ₦50,000 cash-relief programme, INEC’s updated candidates list and support for President Bola Tinubu’s second-term bid from Abba Atiku.
Campaign Attacks Drive Political Conversation
Reported election-related violence provided the day’s leading political issue.
ADC said marshals attacked its Sokoto governorship candidate’s convoy and gave security agencies 24 hours to respond. PRrev also recorded reports that APC supporters were attacked at Governor Dikko Radda’s campaign in Katsina and that a party vehicle was set ablaze.
The report does not identify the alleged attackers or independently establish responsibility for either incident. The developments are therefore presented as claims captured in PRrev’s political monitoring.
The incidents shifted the day’s political focus from the voters-register debate and Bayelsa activities recorded on 30 October to campaign security in the North-West. PRrev classified the region as a high-risk hotspot, citing the Sokoto attack, violence in Katsina and a building-related issue in Kebbi.
ADC Takes Highest Negative-Sentiment Position
The reported attack on ADC’s Sokoto candidate coincided with a sharp deterioration in sentiment around the party.
ADC’s overall negative share reached 24%, the highest among the four political parties monitored, taking over the position previously held by APC. Its negative share on X increased from 14% on 30 October to 24% on 31 October.
Of ADC’s 376 X items, 24% were positive, 24% negative and 52% fair. Its Facebook coverage was more favourable, at 50% positive, 17% negative and 33% fair.
Mainstream coverage presented the party’s most difficult profile. Of its 21 stories, 57% were negative, 38% positive and 5% fair.
ADC also criticised the monthly ₦50,000 cash-relief programme, describing it as an election gimmick and a sign of President Bola Tinubu’s “panic mode”. That description remains an attributed political claim by ADC.
Despite helping shape the day’s major stories, ADC accounted for 12.3% of pooled coverage, placing fourth in visibility.
PRrev Political Party Rating | 31 October
1st in Visibility: APC
39.9% pooled coverage
APC remained the most visible party, generating 1,340 X posts, 198 Facebook items and 37 mainstream reports. Its X sentiment improved to 30% positive and 21% negative, its best result of the week, according to PRrev.
1st in Positive Sentiment, 2nd in Visibility: NDC
31.6% pooled coverage | 41% overall positive sentiment
NDC retained the positive-sentiment crown. Its X coverage was 40% positive and 9% negative, while Facebook was 51% positive and 9% negative.
3rd in Visibility: PDP
16.2% pooled coverage
PDP recorded the strongest day-on-day visibility gain, rising from 13.9% to 16.2%. Most of its X and Facebook coverage remained fair, but 60% of its five mainstream stories were positive.
4th in Visibility, Highest Negative Sentiment: ADC
12.3% pooled coverage | 24% overall negative sentiment
ADC remained fourth in coverage but became the most negatively rated party overall after the reported attack on its Sokoto governorship candidate.
APC Leads Visibility as X Tone Improves
APC remained the most discussed party, accounting for 39.9% of the pooled political-party conversation. Its total comprised 1,340 X posts, 198 Facebook items and 37 mainstream stories.
Its share declined from 41.6% on 30 October, but still exceeded NDC’s by 8.3 percentage points.
The more significant development involved sentiment. On X, APC recorded 30% positive, 21% negative and 49% fair, which PRrev described as the party’s best X tone of the week.
Facebook was more favourable, at 52% positive and 7% negative. Mainstream coverage stood at 51% positive and 41% negative.
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APC’s improved tone came despite the reported Katsina campaign attack and conversation around a post showing tablets bearing President Bola Tinubu’s name in a Chinese factory, allegedly for the APC campaign. PRrev says the post attracted 323,044 views. The alleged purpose of the tablets was not independently established in the report.
NDC Retains Positive-Sentiment Crown
NDC remained the most positively rated political party, with an overall favourable share of 41%. That was slightly lower than the 45.1% reflected in PRrev’s day-on-day comparison.
The party generated 1,148 X posts, 96 Facebook items and three mainstream reports, giving it 31.6% of pooled coverage.
Its X sentiment was 40% positive, 9% negative and 51% fair, while Facebook recorded 51% positive, 9% negative and 40% fair.
All three mainstream reports were classified as negative. Given the small mainstream sample, however, the overall picture was driven primarily by NDC’s much larger X and Facebook volumes, leaving the party with PRrev’s highest overall positive share.
NDC was also affected by the updated INEC list, which left out Gwarzo, its candidate in Kano, according to the report.
PDP Makes Strongest Visibility Gain
PDP increased its share of coverage from 13.9% to 16.2%, the largest day-on-day rise among the four parties.
The party recorded 498 X items, 139 Facebook posts and five mainstream stories. Its X conversation was predominantly fair at 66%, with 19% positive and 15% negative.
Facebook was also mostly fair at 54%, while 37% was positive and 9% negative. Of its five mainstream stories, 60% were positive.
The updated INEC list included Isa Pantami in Gombe but omitted Ladi Adebutu in Ogun, according to PRrev.
Abba Atiku’s Tinubu Endorsement Enters Campaign Debate
Support for President Bola Tinubu from Abba Atiku was another significant driver of political conversation.
PRrev reports that Atiku Abubakar’s son pledged buses and nationwide mobilisation for President Bola Tinubu’s second-term campaign.
The development added a cross-party dimension to the day’s APC conversation. PRrev does not provide separate engagement or sentiment figures for the endorsement, but lists it among the five events driving political activity on 31 October.
Political Conversation Declines
PRrev recorded 3,951 in-scope items, down from 4,724 in its comparison for 30 October.
X volume fell from 4,149 to 3,362 items, while mainstream coverage declined from 88 to 66. Facebook rose from 487 to 523 items. 1
The pooled visibility standings changed as follows:
APC: 41.6% → 39.9%, retaining first place.
NDC: 31.4% → 31.6%, remaining second.
PDP: 13.9% → 16.2%, strengthening third place.
ADC: 13.1% → 12.3%, remaining fourth.
The result narrowed APC’s advantage over NDC, strengthened PDP’s third-place position and left ADC with a smaller share of coverage despite its prominent role in the election-violence narrative.
North-West Rated High Risk
The North-West was the only region classified as high risk by PRrev, reflecting the Sokoto attack, the Kebbi building issue and violence in Katsina.
The South-East received a medium-high rating owing to the Owerri town hall, the Imo ticket dispute and an Enugu Diocese issue.
The South-West, South-South and North-Central were rated medium, while the North-East was assessed as low risk.
PRrev Political Pulse
The defining feature of 31 October was the rise of campaign security as a central political issue, accompanied by a significant change in the negative-sentiment ranking.
The APC remained the visibility leader with 39.9 per cent of pooled coverage and recorded its best sentiment on X for the week, with positive mentions exceeding negative ones by nine percentage points. The party’s political visibility was also reinforced by coverage of First Lady Oluremi Tinubu’s rally in Enugu and the Tinubu Must Stay (TMS) movement’s activities in Jigawa, a core northern state.
NDC retained the positive-sentiment crown at 41%, supported by favourable conversation on X and Facebook despite its three mainstream stories being negative.
PDP strengthened its visibility position to 16.2%, while ADC remained fourth at 12.3% but became the party with the highest overall negative share at 24% following the reported Sokoto convoy attack.
Political Pulse Verdict
APC wins the visibility contest and records its best X sentiment of the week; NDC remains the favourable-perception leader; PDP makes the strongest visibility gain; and ADC, despite setting the day’s campaign-security agenda, becomes the most negatively rated party overall.
The broader warning from the 31 October findings is the growing prominence of attacks and security claims in campaign conversation. Reported incidents in Sokoto and Katsina displaced Bayelsa and the voters register as the leading stories, while the North-West moved into PRrev’s high-risk category.
Political Pulse is based on PRrev, a PRNigeria media-monitoring and sentiment data tool that tracks political activities, media coverage and sentiment across monitored platforms. This edition draws from PRrev Political Parties Report Summary (31 October, 2026). Claims relating to campaign attacks, the alleged purpose of tablets found in a Chinese factory and political criticism of the ₦50,000 relief programme are presented as narratives monitored by PRrev and not as independently established facts.
