African Democratic Congress (ADC) has criticised the federal government for allegedly deploying law enforcement agencies to intimidate opposition leaders.
Gatekeepers News reports that the party was reacting to the summons issued to Nasir el-Rufai, former Governor of Kaduna, and the attack on the convoy of Abubakar Malami, former Attorney-General of the Federation.
In a statement issued on Friday, Bolaji Abdullahi, ADC national publicity secretary, said the incidents represent an assault not just on individual politicians, but on Nigeria’s democracy itself,
According to him, the police seem more interested in silencing opposition leaders than protecting citizens while bandits and terrorists continue to unleash violence across the north.
Abdullahi further alleged that thugs armed with stones and cutlasses disrupted an ADC gathering in Kaduna as police officers stood by.
He added, “Instead of arresting those responsible, the police are now targeting the victims with summons.”
The ADC spokesman said that Malami’s convoy was attacked in broad daylight near a police checkpoint in Kebbi without any arrests being made.
He noted that in Kaduna, police also sealed off the ADC office before a scheduled zonal meeting. Abdullahi described such moves as attempts to undermine the party’s constitutional right to meet and organise.
Abdullahi said, “These acts by the police are not isolated. They represent a systematic attempt to criminalise opposition politics, especially in states where the ruling party feels threatened by the growing influence of the ADC.”
ADC called for the immediate withdrawal of the summons served on el-Rufai and other opposition figures, stressing that the invitations were politically motivated.
It also demanded the unsealing of its Kaduna office, disclosure of the complainants behind the investigations, and prosecution of those who carried out the Kebbi and Kaduna attacks.
Abdullahi said, “The federal government must redirect the focus of the Nigeria Police toward their primary duty — protecting the lives and property of all Nigerians — instead of being used as a tool of political manipulation.”
The party reaffirmed its support for its leaders and members, stressing that it would not succumb to intimidation.
