Sokoto Governor’s Aide Counters ADC, Denies Leading Attack on Women
By Fahad Faruk Galadanchi
The Sokoto State Governor’s Special Adviser on Rural Roads, Hon. Malami Muhammad Galadanchi Bajare, has dismissed allegations that he led thugs to attack a peaceful procession of about 5,000 women organised by the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Sokoto.
Bajare, who addressed journalists in Sokoto on Thursday, described the allegations as misleading, insisting that his intervention during the incident was intended to prevent violence rather than instigate it.
He explained that the APC Sokoto Central Senatorial District Zonal Office, located near the Old Savannah Bank area where the ADC operates, had been in existence for more than 15 years.
According to him, the proximity of the two political offices was well known to residents, questioning why the opposition party chose to establish its office in the area if it wanted to avoid confrontation.
“Everybody in Sokoto knows we have APC Zonal Office in that area for the past 15 years. Between Savannah Bank to our zonal office, there is no difference of five plots. If they don’t want trouble, why open an office there?” he asked.
The governor’s aide disclosed that the APC had scheduled a reception for more than 2,750 defectors from the ADC at its zonal office on the day of the incident.
He alleged that some ADC supporters blocked APC members and seized two motorcycles, prompting some party supporters to demand that the vehicles be recovered.
Bajare said he personally went to the scene after learning about the development, explaining that he wanted to prevent his supporters from taking retaliatory action.
“They blocked some of our people and collected two motorcycles. Our people said they must go and collect them. As a leader, I felt I should not allow that to happen. I went there by myself,” he said.
He added that security officials, including the Divisional Police Officer and the commander of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), were involved in resolving the dispute.
Bajare further claimed that one of the motorcycles was recovered from the ADC office, after which it was agreed that the vehicle should be taken to the Civil Defence office for the owner to establish ownership with valid documents.
He maintained that videos of the incident were available to support his account, while rejecting claims that he organised an attack on women participating in the procession.
The governor’s aide accused the ADC of attempting to generate political tension ahead of the 2027 general elections, arguing that the party was resorting to allegations because it was unprepared for the contest.
“They are not ready for this election. They are trying to create problems in the state,” he alleged.
He also criticised the previous administration, alleging that it failed to deliver adequate infrastructure and sold more than 3,000 houses without constructing new ones.
Defending the performance of the current APC administration, Bajare cited the timely payment of workers’ salaries, pensions and gratuities, improved electricity supply to government houses, and ongoing infrastructure and housing projects in Kalambaina and other parts of the state.
“We have paid salaries on time, paid pensioners and gratuities, restored light to government houses and embarked on massive infrastructure and housing projects in Kalambaina and other areas. Nobody wants to be dragged back to the era when local government workers were paid N4,000,” he said.
He insisted that the state government had not prevented opposition parties from conducting lawful political activities and urged voters to support Governor Ahmed Aliyu Sokoto for continuity and consolidation of his administration’s achievements.
The allegations surrounding the incident and the competing accounts of what transpired could not be independently verified.
