ADC maintains presidential campaign despite alleged attacks in Sokoto
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Daily Trust and Punch
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) is maintaining the launch of its presidential campaign in Sokoto on 4 November 2026, despite alleged threats and attacks against its members, according to Daily Trust and Punch. The party is calling for an investigation into incidents targeting, in particular, its governorship candidate, Manir Muhammad Dan’iya; Punch also reports allegations of pressure on hotels and denials by the Sokoto government.
The ADC’s campaign director in Sokoto, Bello Goronyo, also accused the state government of pressuring hotels to cancel bookings intended for delegates and supporters. He said public hotels had refused to accommodate the party’s guests and that private operators had allegedly been threatened with demolition, according to Punch. The Sokoto government denied ordering hotels to refuse ADC delegates; the local APC chapter said the bookings were intended to accommodate dignitaries expected at a traditional titles ceremony.
Punch reports that the ADC also accuses agents linked to the government of attacking its governorship candidate, Manir Dan’iya, at Sultan Abubakar III International Airport on 30 October. According to Goronyo, the candidate’s vehicles were vandalised, shots were allegedly fired and two Department of State Services (DSS) officers assigned to protect him were detained. The party also claims that its state campaign office was attacked on 28 October: windows, doors and other property were allegedly damaged, and three motorbikes destroyed. It accuses the Sokoto Marshals and community guards of being ordered to prevent its supporters from entering the state.
Goronyo called on the police and the DSS to investigate the alleged attacks, pressure on hoteliers and the role of the state security forces. Punch reports that ADC official Timothy Osadolor explained that the postponement was intended to prevent loss of life and that the choice of Sokoto was strategic, to showcase the party’s support in the North-West. He accused the federal and state governments of seeking to obstruct the opposition.
