ADC Reveals Date For Presidential Campaign Kickoff

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has announced Wednesday, November 4, as the new date for the commencement of its presidential campaign in Sokoto State.

The opposition party said it had decided to proceed with the campaign despite what it described as political intimidation and efforts to prevent its members and supporters from participating in its activities ahead of the 2027 general elections.

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

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

According to him, some government-owned hotels reportedly refused to accommodate the party’s guests, while private hotel operators were allegedly threatened with the demolition of their properties if they failed to withdraw the bookings.

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

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

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

Goronyo alleged that vehicles belonging to the governorship candidate were smashed during the incident, while gunshots were reportedly fired.

He further claimed that two Department of State Services personnel attached to Dan’iya’s security detail were detained during the incident.

The party called on the police and the DSS to investigate the incident and establish the circumstances surrounding the alleged attack.

Goronyo also alleged that ADC women supporters were attacked during a solidarity march on October 28, leaving some participants injured, while mobile phones were reportedly stolen and vehicles damaged.

He said the party’s state campaign office was also attacked on the same day, with windows, doors and other property destroyed. Three motorcycles were reportedly damaged during the incident.

The opposition party 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 presidential campaign.

The ADC condemned the alleged restriction, insisting that citizens had the constitutional right to travel to any part of the country regardless of their political affiliation.

“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, threats against hotel operators and the involvement of state security personnel.

Despite the allegations, he maintained that the party would not abandon its planned political activities in Sokoto.

The decision to reschedule the campaign followed an earlier announcement by the ADC that it had postponed the October 31 flag-off to prevent a possible breakdown of law and order.

A chieftain of the party, Timothy Osadolor, had insisted that the opposition would retain Sokoto as the venue for the presidential campaign despite the postponement.

In an interview, Osadolor described the postponement as a strategic decision taken to prevent violence and possible loss of lives.

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 activities.

He questioned why the state government would allegedly schedule activities capable of undermining the ADC rally on the same day the opposition had announced its campaign flag-off.

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

The ADC chieftain also explained that the choice of Sokoto was deliberate because of the state’s political significance and the party’s desire to make a statement in the North-West ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

According to him, the party wanted to demonstrate its political acceptance in the region, which he claimed had shown signs of rejecting the ruling All Progressives Congress.

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

“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,” he added.

Osadolor expressed confidence that Nigerians would support the ADC presidential candidate, former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, in the 2027 election.