Presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress, Atiku Abubakar, has accused the leadership of the Department of State Services of recruiting protesters to create disorder in Sokoto and provide a pretext for imposing a curfew to stop the party’s campaign rally.
Atiku said the alleged plot was part of a broader attempt by the President Bola Tinubu-led administration to frustrate opposition parties, undermine political competition and deny Nigerians the freedom to choose their leaders ahead of the 2027 general election.
Briefing journalists in Abuja on Tuesday, the former vice president alleged that public facilities meant for campaign activities had been blocked and logistical support withheld in Sokoto, describing the developments as deliberate efforts to deny the ADC a level playing field.
He said information available to the party indicated that protesters were being mobilised from an office behind Zenith Bank on Koko Road, with trucks deployed to strategic locations, including a roundabout.
According to him, the protesters were causing gridlock, threatening commuters and beating some residents, while some had moved away from the roundabout to find shade.
“This is not intelligence work. It is political interference dressed in official uniform,” Atiku said.
“Security agencies exist to protect Nigerians and uphold the law, not to recruit protesters or help a political party manufacture a crisis.”
He called on security officers allegedly involved in the mobilisation to stop immediately and return to their constitutional duty of impartial service.
Atiku accused the Tinubu administration of devoting much of its energy over the past three and a half years to weakening credible opposition, alleging that its strategy of absorbing former opposition figures into the APC was aimed at reducing Nigeria to a one-party state in all but name.
The former vice president also linked the alleged obstruction of the rally to the economic hardship facing Nigerians, saying the government should be defending its record on the rising cost of food, transport, fuel, electricity and other essentials rather than trying to stop opposition campaigns.
