Onuminya Innocent in Sokoto
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has accused the Sokoto State Government of instructing accommodations in Sokoto to disclaim lodging to its delegates forward of its presidential marketing campaign flag-off scheduled for Saturday.
The celebration alleged that each government-owned and privately-owned accommodations within the city had been booked, with delegates advised that there have been no rooms out there from Tuesday by Sunday, in a transfer allegedly aimed toward irritating the occasion.
The Presidential Campaign Spokesperson, Dahiru Maishanu, made the allegation in an announcement issued on Wednesday in Sokoto, describing the motion as unbecoming and irresponsible.
Maishanu mentioned it was condemnable for the state authorities to instruct accommodations to disclaim paying residents the precise to remain of their accommodations, and equally condemnable to evict clients who had already paid and had been at the moment staying.
He mentioned the state authorities’s motion smacked of govt rascality and unwarranted partisanship by the state authorities and its brokers.
He insisted that no quantity of intimidation and harassment would deter celebration members from attending the flag-off from all around the nation, assuring Nigerians that the flag-off would happen on schedule, with the presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, the State Party chief, Senator Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, and different celebration leaders and members in attendance.
However, the APC Youth Vanguards have condemned what they described as a deceptive try by Maishanu to painting the Sokoto State Government as an impediment to the celebration’s political actions.
In an announcement signed by its Secretary, Abdurrasheed Yaqub, the group described the allegation as politically motivated, insisting that the circumstances surrounding the incident should be correctly examined earlier than the state authorities is accused of interfering with the actions of an opposition celebration.
The group mentioned it was unlucky that an allegation of such magnitude might be circulated with out adequately contemplating the broader circumstances, notably the most important conventional ceremony scheduled to happen in Sokoto on Sunday, November 1, 2026.
It famous that a number of conventional titleholders appointed by His Eminence, the Sultan of Sokoto, are anticipated to be turbaned throughout the ceremony, which is prone to entice conventional rulers, distinguished personalities, relations, associates and well-wishers from totally different components of Nigeria, thereby growing demand for resort rooms.
The group argued that the elevated demand for resort lodging might due to this fact be related to the forthcoming conventional occasion, stressing that resort bookings mustn’t mechanically be interpreted as proof of a political conspiracy in opposition to the ADC.
“How can a state government known for prudence and transparency in the management of public resources deliberately spend taxpayers’ money on hotel accommodation simply to frustrate an opposition political party? Such a claim requires credible evidence, not political insinuations,” the assertion mentioned.
The APC Youth Vanguards additional questioned why the ADC’s allegation appeared to ignore the political actions of different opposition figures, recalling that the presidential candidate of the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr Peter Obi, his operating mate, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, and their supporters had been lately in Sokoto for a number of days for political actions with out being denied lodging.
It added that ADC supporters in Sokoto had additionally been holding their political conferences, rallies and different actions in public locations with out being stopped by the state authorities, including that if Governor Ahmed Aliyu and the APC-led authorities had been decided to frustrate opposition actions, such actions wouldn’t have been doable.
The group maintained that Governor Aliyu’s administration had no purpose to resort to such alleged techniques, insisting that political competitors ought to be decided by concepts, insurance policies, programmes and the arrogance of the voters, and urged the ADC to deal with presenting its agenda, whereas calling on media organisations to uphold verification, equity and balanced reporting.
As on the time of submitting this report, efforts to get the response of the Sokoto State Government to the allegation had been but to yield outcome.
The ADC flag-off, scheduled for Saturday, October 31, 2026, is predicted to formally kick-start Atiku Abubakar’s presidential marketing campaign for the 2027 common election in Sokoto has been postponed resulting from insufficient lodging for these coming from far.
