ADC Accuses FG of Using Police to Intimidate El-Rufai, Silence Opposition

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The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has accused the Federal Government of deploying the police to intimidate opposition leaders instead of focusing on protecting Nigerians from worsening insecurity.

In a statement on Friday, signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the party described the police summons issued to former Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, as politically motivated.

It further alleged that the action was “an assault not just on individual politicians, but on Nigeria’s democracy itself.”

“At a time when terrorists and criminal gangs freely operate across large parts of the North, the Nigerian Police appear more interested in silencing opposition leaders than in protecting citizens,” the statement read.

The ADC also condemned the violent attack on the convoy of former Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, in Birnin Kebbi, where several party members sustained injuries.

According to the party, the incident occurred in broad daylight near a police outpost, yet no arrest has been made.

“Despite the seriousness of the attack, no one has been apprehended and the perpetrators remain at large,” the party added.

In Kaduna, the ADC alleged that police officers stood by while thugs armed with stones and cutlasses attacked a peaceful gathering of its members.

Rather than arresting the culprits, the police reportedly summoned the victims, including El-Rufai.

“Every hour spent harassing El-Rufai and shutting down ADC offices is an hour not spent confronting terrorists and criminals destroying lives across the North, and urban bandits threatening the nation,” Abdullahi said.

The party further criticised the sealing of its Kaduna offices ahead of a scheduled meeting of zonal leaders, describing it as a deliberate attempt to block its right to freely gather and organise.

“These actions are not isolated,” the ADC insisted. “They reflect a systematic attempt to criminalise opposition politics, particularly in states where the ruling party feels threatened by the growing influence of our movement.”

The party demanded that the Inspector-General of Police withdraws the summons issued to El-Rufai and other party leaders, reopen its sealed offices in Kaduna, and publish the names of those who filed the petitions that triggered the police investigation.

“These invitations are not about justice or security; they are about silencing dissent and must therefore be stopped immediately,” Abdullahi declared.

The ADC also called for the arrest and prosecution of those behind the attacks in Kebbi and Kaduna, while urging disciplinary measures against police officers who failed to act.

“Those who stood by and allowed political violence to occur should not be wearing the uniform of the Nigerian state,” the party warned.

The ADC maintained that the Federal Government must redirect the police back to their constitutional duty of protecting lives and property rather than engaging them in partisan politics.

“Our party will stand with our leaders and members. We will not be intimidated,” Abdullahi affirmed.

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