As Security operatives in Kaduna rose to seal off the state secretariat of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), located at No. 4 Ali Akilu Road, the party has gone to court, challenging the Inspector General of Police over violation of rights.
Police sealed the secretariat hours before the North-West leadership of the party was due to visit the Kaduna chapter to sympathize with members recently attacked by suspected political thugs.
Witnesses reported the heavy deployment of police patrol vans around the building, effectively preventing access to the party’s office.
A senior party member confirmed that the visit was meant to console members injured during last week’s attack at a coalition meeting between the ADC and Social Democratic Party (SDP).
The meeting, held at the NUT Endwell Conference Hall in Magadishu Layout, was violently disrupted by hoodlums who damaged vehicles, smashed windows, and left several participants wounded.
That incident, which occurred in the presence of armed policemen deployed to stop the gathering, has been linked by opposition figures to escalating political hostilities between former governor Nasir El-Rufai and his successor, Governor Uba Sani.
This is just as an ADC chieftain, Yusuf Shehu Bello, dragged the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, and the Kaduna State Commissioner of Police to the Federal High Court over alleged restrictions on political meetings.
Through his lawyer, Farouk Dikko, Bello filed an interlocutory injunction seeking to restrain the police from suspending or interfering with lawful gatherings in the state.
He said that the Kaduna command’s recent directive requiring political parties to obtain clearance before holding meetings in public places or hotels was unconstitutional.
Bello said: “we are in court to protect our democratic rights. The police have no powers to halt political activities. Their duty is to ensure security and maintain peace, not to suppress free association.”
Analysts are saying that the clampdown on ADC secretariat signals the likelihood of a turbulent political season in Kaduna as rival camps within the ruling elite test their strength ahead of 2027.
Opposition leaders have warned that the crackdown on party activities undermines democracy and sets the stage for further unrest.
