Sokoto’s Attempt To Muzzle ADC

In Sokoto, the seat of the caliphate, two incidents occurred in less than five days, both of which are too coincidental to be dismissed. One was the attack on the convoy of the opposition African Democratic Congress (ADC) Governorship candidate, Manir Muhammad Dan’iya, and the other was the state government’s sealing of the party’s office.

The pattern of these twin actions and the state government’s silence, especially regarding the attack on the convoy of the ADC governorship candidate, widely viewed as complicity, points to one thing: an attempt to muzzle opposition. And that will crumble like a pack of cards.

When the ADC governorship candidate’s convoy was attacked, fingers were pointed at the ruling APC because the opposition party claimed the attack was carried out by the state-owned Community Watch Guards, whom it accused of doing the bidding of the state government.

We try hard to dismiss that allegation, but the state government’s silence makes us rethink. Was the state government aware? How come the attack on the ADC candidate hasn’t been properly investigated, with the culprits identified and sanctioned?

While the ADC continues to agonise over the attack on the convoy of its governorship candidate, the state government controversially sealed the party’s campaign office. Commissioner for Lands, Housing and Physical Planning, Nasiru Dantsoho, said the office was sealed after the government reviewed the building’s certificate of occupancy and other property documents.

This action comes on the heels of the ADC’s presidential campaign flag-off, scheduled for Sokoto. We are alarmed that, while all of these actions are unfolding, no voice of reason has deemed it fit to call the Sokoto government to order.

Nigeria is a multi-party democracy. The Constitution grants individuals the right to belong to any political association of their choice. Relevant laws, including the Electoral Act, empower political parties to campaign for votes ahead of the 2027 election. What is happening in Sokoto is a clear attempt to deny some citizens their rights under the law.

We join Nigerians of goodwill to condemn it.

The Sokoto State government has a responsibility to provide a level playing field for all political parties. That duty is entrusted to it by the Nigerian Constitution. Every political party that wishes to campaign in Sokoto must be free to do so. Sealing ADC’s office, as the Sokoto government did, is a deliberate attempt to deny the party the opportunity to flag off its campaign. That is not democracy.

We recall that a few days ago, the ADC also accused the state government of booking all major hotels in the Sokoto metropolis in a bid to deny accommodation to its delegates, who are billed to arrive in the state for the campaign flag-off. This is too petty. The government should be ashamed of going that low.

Is the Sokoto government afraid of ADC? Why deny the party the chance to launch its campaign, sell its manifesto to citizens, and allow citizens to vote freely for candidates and political parties of their choice?

In Sokoto State, where Governor Ahmed Aliyu Sokoto is seeking re-election, insecurity and endemic poverty have been the lot of the citizens. Hardly a day passes without communities being attacked by either bandits or Lakurawa, who have infiltrated the state through the border with the Niger Republic. Rather than focusing on addressing these challenges, it is disheartening to note that the government is dissipating energy on muzzling the opposition.

The sealing of the ADC campaign office, the attack on the ADC governorship candidate’s convoy, and the booking of all major hotels to deny ADC members arriving in the state for the campaign launch accommodation all point to one thing: the Sokoto government is afraid of the opposition. And that is embarrassing.

A Governor who performs well by delivering on his or her campaign promises need not fear the opposition. The Sokoto government is showing, to whoever cares to listen, that it is in a phobic mode. That, if proven true, is defeat personified.

Fundamentally, what is happening to the ADC in Sokoto has the potential to snowball into an alarming crisis. When people’s right to association, as guaranteed by the Constitution, is threatened, there may be a resort to self-help. The danger such a situation poses to a nation and its people cannot be imagined. The Sokoto government must retrace its steps.