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Kaduna By-Election Tension: ADC and SDP Accuse APC of Plotting to Sabotage the Process
As Kaduna State heads into a crucial by-election this Saturday, August 16, the political temperature is rising fast, and not for the right reasons. Two opposition parties, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and the Social Democratic Party (SDP), have jointly raised an alarm, accusing the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of orchestrating a large-scale plan to sabotage the electoral process.
In a statement jointly signed by Jafaru Ibrahim Sani (ADC National Vice Chairman, North-West), Elder Patrick Ambut (ADC Kaduna State Chairman), and Nasiru Maikano (SDP Kaduna State Chairman), the coalition alleged that the APC-led Kaduna State government is going all out to ensure the by-election tilts in its favor, even if it means undermining democracy itself.
Interestingly, this fiery statement wasn’t just sent to the press. It was also pasted on the verified Facebook page of former Governor Nasir El-Rufai, a move that immediately attracted public attention and set off a wave of heated discussions online.
According to the opposition parties, the alleged sabotage operation is already in motion. They claim the APC-led administration has recruited about 4,000 thugs from both within and outside Kaduna State to “intimidate and harass” citizens, opposition members, and electoral officials. These thugs, the statement claims, are not just meant to be a noisy presence at polling units, their reach will reportedly extend to Ward, State Constituency, and Federal Constituency Collation Centres, where they could influence vote counting, disrupt collation processes, or outright scare away voters and officials.
If true, this isn’t just typical election-day tension; it’s a full-blown operation designed to dismantle public trust in the process.
INEC Allegedly Compromised For Kaduna BY-Election
The ADC-SDP coalition went even further, accusing the Kaduna State Government of actively trying to compromise Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) officials.
Their allegations are as specific as they are explosive:
- Plots of land allegedly offered to senior INEC officials, electoral officers, and technical staff as “gifts”, in reality, the opposition says, these are bribes for cooperation.
- Secret meetings between government officials and high-level INEC personnel deployed from headquarters, allegedly to plan election manipulation from within.
These claims, if accurate, point to a sophisticated level of interference, blurring the line between public service and partisan politics. The accusations didn’t stop there. The coalition claims that the 23 local governments in Kaduna State were compelled to contribute ₦30 million each to a so-called “election sabotage fund.”
Do the math, and that’s about ₦690 million, but according to the statement, there’s more. They allege that an additional ₦4.8 billion has been sent from Abuja to fuel the operation, covering:
- Vote-buying on election day
- Compromise of electoral officials
- Corruption of security agents to look the other way, or worse, to actively assist in the sabotage
The opposition warns that such massive financial firepower could make it almost impossible to hold a credible election if left unchecked.
According to the coalition, this is not some rogue operation run by a few overzealous party loyalists. They allege that the sabotage is being coordinated from the highest levels of the Kaduna State Government, with a serving Commissioner in charge of local government matters leading the “dishonourable” assignment. The statement further accuses local government officials from Kudan, Soba, and Zaria of recruiting their own squads of thugs to:
- Attack opposition rallies
- Disrupt campaign events
- Spread fear among the electorate before voting day
If these claims hold water, it paints a picture of a well-organized, multi-tiered plan aimed at ensuring the APC dominates, not through persuasion at the ballot box, but through calculated intimidation.
Despite the heavy accusations, the ADC-SDP coalition insists it is acting as a law-abiding political alliance. They claim their goal is to alert both INEC and the security agencies to these alleged unlawful acts before things spiral out of control. The statement warns that failure to curb these “nefarious plans” could provoke “unpredictable reactions” from supporters and the wider public. In a state with a history of political tension, that warning should not be taken lightly.
While the allegations remain just that, allegations, they highlight a recurring fear in Nigeria’s democracy: the risk of elections being turned into staged performances rather than genuine contests of ideas and popularity.
Kaduna’s August 16 by-election is for Chikun/Kajuru Federal Constituency and state constituencies in Zaria and Sabon Gari, not exactly the presidential race, but still politically significant. If an election at this level can allegedly attract billions in sabotage funds, what does that say about the stakes, and the lengths parties are willing to go? Nigeria’s democracy survives on trust, trust that votes will count, that institutions will remain impartial, and that power can be won or lost without bloodshed. If voters begin to feel that elections are pre-decided by money, thugs, and backroom deals, that trust could erode quickly.
As Saturday approaches, the spotlight will remain firmly on Kaduna. Whether these allegations prove true or not, one thing is certain: the by-election is no longer just about who wins or loses, it’s a test of Nigeria’s democratic credibility.
