The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has stated that it has decided to keep the venue of its presidential campaign rally in Sokoto State secret ahead of Wednesday’s kickoff.
Naija News reports that the development follows the shut down of its campaign office by the Sokoto government.
Speaking to Punch, the ADC’s presidential campaign committee spokesman, Dahiru Maishanu, said it was a precautionary measure, citing security concerns amid allegations of attempts to disrupt the event.
The party said it was taking precautionary measures to avoid being caught unawares, following reports of a possible plot to frustrate the rally scheduled for November 4.
Maishanu that the party had secured a venue but was awaiting clearance from its national headquarters before making the location public.
“We have secured a place for the campaign rally, but due to one or two reasons, I may not be able to disclose that for now. If time permits and I get clearance from the national headquarters, you will be briefed,” Maishanu said.
He disclosed that the party had approached the police and the Department of State Services (DSS) over reports of a plot to disrupt the rally, adding that both security agencies had assured it of adequate protection.
Maishanu also said some party members had arrived in Sokoto ahead of the event despite what he described as restrictions on accommodation for its guests by the state government.
“Some of our members are in town already and have secured accommodation anyway,” he said.
On the sealing of the party’s office, Maishanu said its leadership had visited the state police command, where they were informed that the police had no knowledge of the closure.
He added that the police also claimed that no quasi-security agency could independently enforce the closure of a property without police involvement or a court order.
“They assured us that our office is still there for us, so there is no cause for alarm,” he added.
The spokesman for the Sokoto State Police Command, DSP Ahmed Rufai, also confirmed to the aforementioned publication that the command was aware of the rally and had received an official letter from the organisers requesting security coverage.
He said the Commissioner of Police had directed the command to provide adequate security for the event.
“We are ready to provide maximum security for them tomorrow. They wrote to us from the first day they chose, and they even wrote to us when it was postponed.
“We are fully aware of it tomorrow, and the CP has directed the command to do the needful,” Rufai said.
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