Security operatives from the Kaduna State Police Command on Thursday sealed the African Democratic Congress (ADC) office at No. 4 Ali Akilu Road, Kaduna.
The action, which came just hours before a scheduled visit by the ADC Northwest leadership, has sparked outrage within opposition circles.
According to eyewitnesses, several police patrol vans surrounded the premises, blocking party officials and supporters from gaining entry.
The visit by Northwest leaders was meant to sympathise with members injured in a brutal attack by suspected political thugs last week.
A source told SaharaReporters that the closure was deliberate.
“The leadership of ADC in Kaduna State was expecting a commiseration visit from the North-West ADC leadership after thugs attacked its members.
The police action looks like an attempt to frustrate that solidarity,” the source said.
Last week, violence erupted when thugs, allegedly sponsored by the state government, stormed a joint transition meeting between the ADC and the Social Democratic Party (SDP).
The meeting, reportedly held under the leadership of former Governor Nasir El-Rufai, ended in chaos.
Several people sustained injuries, and vehicles, including El-Rufai’s, were vandalised.
Windows of the conference hall at NUT Endwell, Magadishu Layout, were also shattered during the attack.
Witnesses claimed that armed policemen were already present at the venue but failed to intervene when the thugs launched the assault.
Opposition figures accused the government of orchestrating the violence to weaken the growing ADC-SDP alliance in the state.
The incident has intensified political tension between Governor Uba Sani and his predecessor, El-Rufai.
Analysts say the conflict signals the start of what could become a bloody political showdown ahead of 2027.
“This is an indication of the bloody politics that lie ahead, heralding the political squabble between El-Rufai and his former godson, Governor Uba Sani,” a top source revealed.
Meanwhile, a senior ADC chieftain, Yusuf Shehu Bello, has dragged the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, and the Kaduna State Commissioner of Police to court.
Bello filed a suit at the Federal High Court, Kaduna, challenging what he described as unlawful restrictions on political gatherings.
Through his lawyer, Barrister Farouk Dikko, Bello is seeking an injunction restraining the police from suspending, disrupting, or interfering with political meetings in public spaces or hotels.
Speaking after the filing, Bello said the directive by the Kaduna Police Command requiring prior notice before political gatherings was unconstitutional.
“The police have no constitutional powers to suspend political activities.
Their duty is to provide security, not to shut down opposition meetings,” Bello told journalists.
He added that the move was an infringement on citizens’ right to freedom of association guaranteed under the Nigerian Constitution.
The sealing of the ADC office, coming so soon after last week’s violence, has further raised questions about political intolerance in Kaduna.
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