The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has criticised the Kaduna State Police Command for its handling of the violent disruption of its weekend inauguration in Kaduna, where party members were allegedly attacked by armed thugs.
In a statement released on August 31 and signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the party accused the police of attempting to criminalise legitimate political activity while failing to protect citizens.
“When the Kaduna State Police Command issued its press release on the unfortunate disruption of the ADC meeting in Kaduna State, where our party leaders and members were attacked by armed thugs, we expected reassurance that justice would be done and that those responsible for the violence would be held to account.
“Instead, what we read was a troubling attempt to criminalize legitimate political activity, pre-judge individuals, and cast the opposition in the light of lawlessness,” the statement read.
The ADC condemned what it described as contradictions in the police’s reaction, faulting the rush to label the party’s gathering as linked to “political gangsters” despite admitting that an investigation was ongoing.
“This contradiction exposes the statement as more political than professional. Investigations should establish facts before conclusions are drawn; when police act as judge and jury, it undermines both justice and democracy,” the party said.
The statement also challenged the police’s claim that the gathering was unauthorised, insisting that the right to assemble is constitutionally guaranteed.
“A Police notification is a matter of procedure and often courtesy, not a license to exercise a right that has been granted by the constitution. To suggest otherwise is to turn citizens’ freedoms into privileges at the mercy of the state,” it added.
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The ADC further criticised the police warning that hotels and event centres would be held liable for hosting political meetings without approval.
According to the party, “It amounts to intimidation of private citizens and businesses, effectively denying opposition parties access to spaces for lawful activity.
“No democracy thrives where access to public or private venues is determined by the whims of security agencies under any guise.”
The party rejected the blanket suspension of “unauthorised gatherings” announced by the Kaduna Police Command, describing it as a dangerous overreach.
“Security agencies are to protect lawful assemblies, not proscribe them. To arrogate to themselves the power to decide which political meetings may hold is to hand the police veto authority over democracy itself,” it stated.
Abdullahi stressed that the ADC remains committed to peaceful, issue-based politics and demanded a transparent investigation into the attack.
“We therefore demand that the Kaduna State Police Command immediately revisit its statement, conduct a transparent investigation, and explain why its officers allegedly abandoned their duty when our leaders and members came under attack.”
Concluding, the ADC declared: “Democracy is not a crime. Selective policing is. Still, we in the ADC will not be intimidated into silence.
“We also call on all citizens to reject the growing acts of violence and intimidation against opposition parties by the ruling APC at all levels.”