ADC To IGP: Unseal Our Sokoto Campaign Office

The African Democratic Congress, ADC, has called on the Inspector-General of Police, IGP, to immediately order the opening of the party’s campaign Secretariat in Sokoto state, saying the office was illegally shut without due process.

According to reports, the party’s campaign office, along Ahmadu Bello Way, was sealed on Tuesday, November 3, by policemen attached to the state Police Command.

The opposition party said the office was sealed on the directive of the governor of the state, who he said gave the order without a valid court order to that effect, calling on the IGP to order the reopening of the Secretariat.

Yusuf Suleiman, the Deputy Director-General of the Atiku Abubakar ADC 2027 Presidential Campaign Council, made the call in a statement on Wednesday, condemning the act which he said violated the party’s fundamental rights, saying the state governor’s order was both illegal and unconstitutional.

The party alleged that no valid order or notice was served on the party before the secretariat was shut by security agency, saying the state government has yet to give a ‘’lawful reason’’ on why it took the action.

ADC said it has operated the office for more than eight years, alleging that the state government decision to seal it was purely mischievous, citing the fact that the office was shut on the eve of the flag-off of its Presidential Campaign launch in the state.

The party, however, stated that it will not be intimidated despite the high-handedness of the part of the state government to suppress ADC ahead next year’s general election.

“The Sokoto State Government is clearly unsettled by the organic, expanding support for the ADC and its candidates across the state, and it has chosen to respond with force rather than democratic debate,” the statement alleged.

“We call on the Inspector-General of Police to direct the immediate unsealing of our premises and to remind the Sokoto State Command that its constitutional duty is to protect every political party equally, not to do the bidding of the ruling party,” Suleiman said in the statement.