Security Fears: ADC Keeps Sokoto Presidential Rally Venue Secret
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has withheld the venue of its presidential campaign rally in Sokoto State, citing security concerns ahead of the event scheduled for Wednesday, November 4.
The party said it had taken precautionary measures following reports of an alleged plot to disrupt the rally, amid rising political tension between its members and the Sokoto State Government.
The development comes after the state government sealed the party’s office, while the ADC accused the ruling All Progressives Congress of interfering with its political activities and alleged attacks on its supporters.
The ADC Presidential Campaign Committee spokesman, Dahiru Maishanu, disclosed that the party had secured a venue but was awaiting approval from its national headquarters before announcing the location.
“We have secured a place for the campaign rally, but due to one or two reasons, I may not be able to disclose that for now. If time permits and I get clearance from the national headquarters, you will be briefed,” Maishanu said.
He said the party had contacted the police and the Department of State Services over reports of a possible disruption, adding that both agencies had assured it of adequate protection.
Maishanu also disclosed that some party members had arrived in Sokoto ahead of the rally, despite what he described as restrictions on accommodation for their guests by the state government.
“Some of our members are in town already and have secured accommodation anyway,” he said.
On the sealing of the party’s state office, Maishanu said its leadership had visited the police command and was informed that the police had no knowledge of the closure.
He added that the police assured the party that no quasi-security agency could independently seal a property without police involvement or a court order.
“They assured us that our office is still there for us, so there is no cause for alarm,” he said.
The spokesman for the Sokoto State Police Command, DSP Ahmed Rufai, confirmed that the command had received an official request from the rally organisers for security coverage.
Rufai said the Commissioner of Police had directed officers to provide adequate protection for the event, adding that the police would not prevent any political party from exercising its constitutional right to campaign.
“We are ready to provide maximum security for them tomorrow. They wrote to us from the first day they chose, and they even wrote to us when it was postponed,” he said.
He added that the command was yet to be informed of the venue but assured that security arrangements would be made.
Meanwhile, the Sokoto State Government has defended its decision to seal the ADC office, dismissing allegations that the action was intended to frustrate the party’s activities.
The Commissioner for Lands and Housing, Nasiru Aliyu Dantsoho, said the government acted after a violent confrontation between supporters of the Peoples Democratic Party and the ADC at the property, followed by a security report warning of possible further violence.
Dantsoho explained that an investigation into the ownership of the property showed that its Certificate of Occupancy remained registered in the name of the defunct Savannah Bank.
He said the state government had approached the Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation for clarification because of its responsibility for managing the assets of failed banks.
According to him, the government’s intervention was aimed at preventing a breakdown of law and order and protecting lives and property.
The dispute comes as political parties intensify mobilisation ahead of the 2027 general elections.
On Tuesday, APC youths in Sokoto staged what they described as a one-million-man rally in support of President Bola Tinubu and Governor Ahmed Aliyu’s second-term ambition.
The procession began at the Racecourse in Sokoto metropolis and moved through Emir Yahaya Road, Bello Way and Maiduguri Road before ending at the Government House gate.
By Oluwafemi Shodipe.
