ADC fixes November 4 Sokoto rally, alleges intimidation

The African Democratic Congress has rescheduled its presidential campaign kick-off in Sokoto State to Wednesday, November 4, despite alleging threats, attacks on its members and attempts by the state government to frustrate the event.

The party said its decision to proceed with the campaign was a demonstration of its determination to exercise its constitutional rights despite what it described as growing political intimidation ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The Director-General of the ADC governorship campaign in Sokoto State, Bello Goronyo, disclosed this while addressing journalists at the party’s secretariat in Sokoto on Sunday.

Goronyo alleged that the state government had opposed the party’s initial plan to hold the presidential campaign flag-off on October 31, 2026, and subsequently mounted pressure on hotel operators to cancel reservations made for delegates and supporters.

He said some government-owned hotels reportedly declined to accommodate the party’s guests, while private hotel operators were allegedly threatened with demolition if they failed to withdraw their bookings.

“We have received reports that hotel operators were threatened with consequences, including the demolition of their properties, if they refused to comply,” he said.

The ADC campaign director described the alleged development as an attempt to restrict opposition activities and undermine political pluralism in the state.

He also accused government-linked security outfits of involvement in a series of attacks on party members, including an alleged incident involving the party’s governorship candidate, Manir Dan’iya, at the Sultan Abubakar III International Airport on October 30.

According to him, the candidate’s vehicles were smashed, and gunshots were reportedly fired during the incident, while two Department of State Services personnel attached to his security detail were detained.

Goronyo demanded an investigation by the police and the DSS to establish the circumstances surrounding the incident and identify those responsible.

He also alleged that ADC women supporters were attacked during a solidarity march on October 28, resulting in injuries, the loss of mobile phones and damage to vehicles.

The party’s state campaign office was also reportedly attacked on the same day, with windows, doors and other property damaged, while three motorcycles were destroyed.

The ADC further alleged that personnel of the Sokoto Marshals and Sokoto Community Guards had been instructed to prevent its supporters from entering the state ahead of the campaign.

“No governor, political party or security commander has the authority to restrict citizens from entering a state because of their political affiliation,” the party said.

Goronyo called on the Inspector-General of Police and the Director-General of the DSS to investigate the alleged attacks, intimidation of hotel operators and involvement of state security personnel.

He insisted that the party would not abandon its political activities despite the alleged obstacles.

However, the Sokoto State Government had earlier denied allegations that it directed hotels to reject ADC delegates.

The state chapter of the All Progressives Congress also maintained that hotel reservations were made to accommodate dignitaries expected to attend a traditional title ceremony.

A chieftain of the ADC, Timothy Osadolor, had earlier said the party would retain Sokoto as the venue for the kick-off of its presidential campaign despite postponing the event initially scheduled for Saturday, October 31.

Osadolor said the decision to postpone the rally was a strategic move to prevent a breakdown of law and order, insisting that the party had no intention of changing the venue.

Speaking exclusively with The PUNCH, he said, “We had a strategic rethink and rescheduled our presidential campaign flag-off to avoid unnecessary loss of lives.

“We will stick with Sokoto and the onus is on the security agencies to provide security because we have written to notify them of our activities.”

Osadolor blamed the President Bola Tinubu-led Federal Government and the Sokoto State Government for the circumstances surrounding the postponement, accusing them of attempting to frustrate the opposition party’s political activities.

He questioned why the Sokoto State Government would allegedly schedule activities to undermine the ADC’s planned rally on the same day the party had advertised its campaign flag-off.

“When a government knows that its time is off, like a dying horse, it starts struggling,” he said.

According to him, the choice of Sokoto was deliberate, given the state’s political significance and the party’s desire to make a strong statement in the North-West ahead of the next general election.

“Why the choice of Sokoto? Sokoto is symbolic. We saw the shame and rejection meted out to the APC in Kaduna,” he added.

He explained that the ADC wanted to demonstrate its acceptance in the region, despite what he described as the ruling All Progressives Congress’s rejection by voters.

“We chose to go to the same North West to show to Nigerians that whereas they were rejected in the same geopolitical zone, we will be accepted because they know the liberator, Mr Subsidy Removal is coming in the person of Waziri Atiku Abubakar,” Osadolor said.

He expressed confidence that Nigerians had resolved to elect the ADC presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, as president in 2027.

Efforts to confirm the official position of the ADC Presidential Campaign Council on the new date yielded little, as its Director, Media and Publicity, Kola Ologbondiyan, promised to “check and revert” when our correspondent reached out to him.

As of the time of filing this report, Ologbondiyan had yet to reach out as promised.