The Special Adviser to the Sokoto State Governor on Rural Roads, Hon. Malami Muhammad Galadanchi Bajare, has denied allegations that he led thugs to attack a peaceful procession organised by about 5,000 women of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Sokoto.
The allegation was made by the ADC in a statement signed by Aminu Abdullahi, media aide to the party’s governorship candidate, Manir Dan’Iya, accusing Bajare and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of disrupting the women’s solidarity march.
Reacting to the accusation on Thursday, Bajare described the claim as false, insisting that no member of the ADC was attacked.
He alleged that the opposition party was trying to gain public sympathy because it lacked political support in Sokoto State.
According to him, the ADC had repeatedly resorted to propaganda to create the impression that it enjoyed widespread acceptance in the state.
“The truth is that nothing happened to them. Nobody attacked them on that day. Everybody in Sokoto knows we have had an APC zonal office at that location for the past 15 years. They only opened their office a few metres away from ours, but we never bothered about it,” he said.
Bajare explained that APC members had gathered at the zonal office to receive about 2,750 defectors from the ADC when the incident occurred.
He claimed that some APC members were prevented from accessing the office and that two motorcycles belonging to party supporters were seized during the confusion.
“Our members wanted to retrieve the motorcycles, but I intervened as a leader. I went there with security agencies and recovered one of the motorcycles. It is still with the security agencies, while we await the recovery of the second one,” he said.
The governor’s aide also dismissed allegations that the Sokoto State Government directed hotel owners not to accommodate ADC members ahead of the party’s presidential campaign flag-off in the state.
He described the allegation as “the height of falsehood,” explaining that the government only reserved hotel rooms for dignitaries expected to attend the Sultan’s 20th anniversary celebration scheduled for Saturday.
Bajare further criticised the opposition, saying the ADC was attempting to create unnecessary tension because it was not prepared for the forthcoming election.
He also accused the previous administration of failing to deliver infrastructure despite spending eight years in office, while claiming that the current APC government was constructing houses and executing development projects across the state.
He maintained that the APC remained popular in Sokoto and expressed confidence that the opposition would not win the next election.
