…Opposition warns of sabotage fund, land-for-loyalty deals to rig Aug 16 polls

…State govt hits back, calls allegations “laughable” and opposition “politically irrelevant”

By Austine Agbo Emmanuel, Kaduna

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) and the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in Kaduna State have accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of being unelectable and determined to prevent a credible contest in the August 16, 2025, bye-elections for Chikun/Kajuru Federal Constituency and the State Constituencies of Sabon-Gari and Zaria.

At a joint press conference in Kaduna on Thursday, ADC National Vice Chairman (North-West), Jafaru Ibrahim Sani, speaking on behalf of the coalition, alleged that the APC-led state government intended to sabotage the bye-elections, manipulate the process, and secure victories it could not achieve in a genuinely competitive race.

According to the coalition, the state government had allegedly mobilised about 4,000 thugs from within and outside Kaduna to intimidate voters and opposition party agents across polling units, as well as at ward, state constituency, and federal constituency collation centres.

They further claimed that the government was working to compromise INEC officials through inducements, including allocations of plots of land to senior electoral officers and technical staff. 

The coalition asserted that it possessed details of state officials who had held clandestine meetings with high-ranking INEC personnel deployed from the commission’s headquarters as part of the alleged scheme.

The ADC and SDP alleged that the 23 local government councils had been coerced into contributing N30 million each to a fund for election manipulation, while an additional N4.8 billion from Abuja was reportedly earmarked for vote-buying, bribing electoral officials, and corrupting security agents to trigger disorder.

They accused a disgraced former senator, said to be notorious for engineering electoral violence in the past, of being entrusted with disbursing the funds, adding that the plot was being coordinated at the highest levels of state government. The coalition named a serving Commissioner for Local Government as leading the officials assigned to execute the operation.

Further allegations included claims that senior officials in Kudan, Soba, and Zaria local government areas were actively recruiting thugs to disrupt opposition rallies and campaign events.

The coalition maintained that, as law-abiding political organisations, it was duty-bound to alert INEC and security agencies to what it described as unlawful and undemocratic conduct. It called for the APC-led government to be restrained to prevent unpredictable reactions from supporters and the wider public.

The ADC and SDP urged INEC to uphold the impartiality of its officials, insisting that any compromised personnel be withdrawn immediately and replaced with fresh electoral and technical staff. They also called on security agencies to resist complicity in violating citizens’ rights, safeguard the coalition’s right to campaign within the law, and protect voters on election day.

They demanded that the Commissioner for Local Government and others accused of recruiting thugs be cautioned, investigated, and prosecuted, warning that no individual should be allowed to destabilise Kaduna or Zaria metropolis by fomenting violence at polling units or collation centres.

The coalition further insisted that security agencies must arrest and prosecute anyone, regardless of political affiliation, who engaged in voter intimidation or election violence, alongside the sponsors of such actions.

The Kaduna State Government has dismissed the allegations as unfounded and absurd. Commissioner for Information, Hon. Ahmed Maiyaki, described the ADC and SDP as “out of touch with reality,” asserting that under Governor Uba Sani, the state government had no role in conducting elections, which was solely the mandate of INEC.

Maiyaki accused the coalition of attempting to discredit an election it was destined to lose, adding that the governor remained focused on development. He encouraged citizens to vote peacefully, saying the administration’s record of inclusive governance would secure victory in a fair contest.

Also reacting, Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Sadiq Mamman Lagos, rejected claims that N30 million was taken from each council to fund elections, stating that such practices belonged to past administrations. He argued that the current government had no need to divert public resources for political purposes.

Lagos described the coalition leaders as frustrated politicians without electoral weight, accusing them of presiding over insecurity and economic decline when in power. He pointed to improved peace and unity in Kaduna under the present administration, dismissing the accusations as politically motivated and baseless.