Political activities ahead of the 2027 elections have taken a more confrontational turn in Kaduna State after the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the opposition African Democratic Congress (ADC) traded allegations over attacks, vandalism and destruction of campaign materials.
The latest dispute followed an incident involving ADC supporters who had gathered to welcome the party’s Kaduna governorship candidate, Isa Ashiru, after his return from Umrah.
Manasseh Istifanus, the ADC candidate for Zangon Kataf Constituency in the Kaduna State House of Assembly, alleged that party supporters were attacked at Dakande Toll Gate while waiting for Ashiru.
He described the incident as “shameful and reprehensible” and called on security agencies to establish what happened and prosecute anyone found responsible.
“Politics should be about ideas, service, persuasion, and the will of the people; not violence, intimidation, and thuggery,” Istifanus said.
Another ADC member, Awwal Gezau, alleged that supporters who had parked their vehicles around Maraban Jos were also attacked.
According to Gezau, men who arrived in Hilux vehicles and a bus allegedly descended on the vehicles and damaged them. The ADC subsequently displayed several damaged cars, which it said were victims of the incident.
The party also alleged that members travelling to Kaduna for Ashiru’s welcome were attacked at Dakande.
The claims have not been independently verified, and there was no immediate public confirmation identifying those responsible.
The APC has also raised allegations of attacks against its members and property.
Sani Dan Azare, the party’s Public Relations Officer in Kaduna, said APC members, support groups and party offices were allegedly targeted, with vehicles reportedly vandalised in the process.
The APC called for an investigation by security agencies and urged its members to remain calm.
“Various claims and allegations have emerged in connection with these incidents,” Dan Azare said, asking security agencies to consider all available evidence before reaching conclusions.
He added, “No political contest is greater than the peace and security of Kaduna State. Let the facts be established. Let due process prevail. Let the law take its course.”
The competing allegations come few months before a predicted intense political battle in Kaduna in the 2027 governorship election.
Ashiru, who contested the 2023 governorship election under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), is now the ADC candidate, while incumbent Governor Uba Sani is seeking another term on the APC platform.
The ADC has previously warned that the reported attack would not force it to withdraw from political activities in the state.
National Publicity Secretary of the party, Bolaji Abdullahi, said peaceful participation should not be interpreted as an unwillingness to defend the party’s political presence.
“Let nobody mistake our commitment to peaceful democratic participation for weakness. No political party has a monopoly on non-state sanctioned violence. Once violence becomes an accepted instrument of political competition, nobody can predict where it ends,” Abdullahi said.
He called for those behind the incident and anyone who may have sponsored or organised it to be identified and prosecuted.
“This is why the security agencies must act now. Those responsible for the attack, as well as anyone who sponsored or organised it, must be identified, arrested and prosecuted,” the ADC said.
The opposition party also insisted that the incident would not stop its campaign activities across Kaduna.
“Kaduna belongs to its people, not to any party. If anyone believes intimidation will frighten the ADC off the political field, they have badly miscalculated,” the party said.
“We will not be intimidated. We will organise, we will campaign, and we will compete in every part of Kaduna State. The 2027 elections must be decided by ideas competing at the ballot box, not by thugs and bruises,” it added.
Meanwhile, the ADC has been expanding its political programme across the North-West as part of its preparations for 2027.
Its governorship candidates in Kaduna, Jigawa, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Sokoto and Zamfara recently signed the Northwest ADC Governorship Candidates’ Compact 2027–2031.
The agreement focuses on issues including insecurity, education, healthcare, agriculture, infrastructure and economic development across the seven states.
The candidates proposed a uniform minimum wage of N110,000 for workers in the region and pledged to work jointly on security and economic issues while retaining the constitutional powers of individual state governments.
They also proposed establishing 21 specialist hospitals, with one in each senatorial district across the North-West.
On security, the ADC candidates proposed a regional coordination centre to improve intelligence sharing and early-warning systems. They also pledged to use surveillance technology, drones and rapid-response networks if elected.
The candidates further outlined plans involving irrigation, protected agricultural corridors, agro-processing, grain reserves, primary healthcare, telemedicine and community health insurance.