The Kaduna State Government has denied ordering the closure of Arewa House to stop former vice president Atiku Abubakar from holding a consultation with Northern stakeholders ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Politics Nigeria reports that the state Commissioner for Information and Culture, Ahmed Maiyaki, said the government had nothing to do with the reported closure, stressing that Arewa House was not a state-owned facility.
Maiyaki explained that the historic building belonged to the Federal Government through Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), dismissing allegations that Governor Uba Sani’s administration was responsible for sealing the premises.
“We do not own Arewa House. It is the property of the Federal Government, owned by Ahmadu Bello University,” he said.
He also rejected claims that the government was attempting to frustrate opposition activities, insisting that political parties were free to use state-owned facilities provided they complied with established procedures.
The commissioner accused those behind the allegations of attempting to tarnish Governor Sani’s reputation, describing him as a long-standing advocate of democracy and civil society.
Politics Nigeria reports that the denial followed allegations by the African Democratic Congress Presidential Campaign Council that the Kaduna State Government ordered the closure of Arewa House to prevent Atiku from meeting political, traditional and other stakeholders from Northern Nigeria on Thursday.
In a statement issued on Wednesday and signed by its Director of Strategic Communication, Phrank Shaibu, the campaign council accused President Bola Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress of using government authority to obstruct opposition activities ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The council described the reported closure as an attempt to undermine the opposition’s right to political mobilisation and consultation.
Atiku had also alleged that his campaign team initially selected Arewa House for the meeting before the facility was reportedly sealed.
“My campaign team had proposed the Arewa House as the venue for our consultation with stakeholders on Thursday and, today, the APC government decided to seal the building,” the former vice-president said.
The ADC-PCC recalled an alleged attempt by the APC-led government in Sokoto State to frustrate its campaign flag-off, describing the Kaduna development as another instance of interference with opposition activities.
It also accused the ruling party of undermining democratic competition and restricting the ability of opposition parties to engage Nigerians.
“We hold President Bola Tinubu and the APC politically responsible for this pattern of obstruction. An outgoing president and a ruling party should respect democratic competition, not use public authority to impede the opposition, restrict political consultation or weaken Nigerians’ right to choose,” the council stated.
The campaign council further raised concerns over the timing of the release of the certified true copy of the Federal High Court judgment on the ADC leadership dispute.
It alleged that making the document available on the final day of the constitutionally stipulated seven-day period had left the party with limited time to examine the ruling and determine its next legal steps.
The council, however, vowed to continue its political consultations, pursue its legal rights and take its message to Nigerians, insisting that it would not be intimidated.
Meanwhile, the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) said it was unaware of any planned meeting between Atiku and the organisation.
The forum’s National Publicity Secretary, Prof. Tukur Mohammed-Baba, also clarified that Arewa House was an institution of Ahmadu Bello University and operated independently of the ACF.
Speaking in Kaduna on Wednesday, Mohammed-Baba said he had no information about the reported meeting or any invitation extended to a political candidate by the forum.
“I am out of Kaduna right now. I have no information on the story under reference. I can only confirm as follows: Arewa House in Kaduna is an outfit of Ahmadu Bello University, independent of the ACF.
“I am not aware of any invitation to any political candidate to a meeting at the ACF,” he said.
The ACF spokesman also disclosed that the organisation had reported an alleged break-in at its headquarters to security agencies.
He alleged that a former staff member who had left the organisation broke into its secretariat about two days earlier, changed the locks and removed some property and official documents.
“About two days ago, a disengaged staff member had allegedly broken into ACF’s head office, changed locks and carted away property, files, etc. After the development, a report was lodged with the security agencies for necessary action,” he added.