2027 Politics Watch – Tuesday’s Roundup: From Sokoto’s security row to Zamfara’s rival winners

Less than 24 hours before Atiku Abubakar was due to launch his presidential campaign in Sokoto, he accused Nigeria’s secret police of recruiting protesters to disrupt the event. The agency denied the allegation. The state government had already ordered the closure of a building his party used.

But Tuesday’s political disputes extended beyond Sokoto. In Kano, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) cited a court order to explain why it omitted an opposition governorship ticket from its list, although the omission predated the order. In Zamfara, a court-ordered APC senatorial primary produced competing declarations, including one tally in which the votes credited to three aspirants exceeded the number of accredited voters.

The three disputes arose in different circumstances, but each left a question for the authorities involved: the grounds for security restrictions in Sokoto, the original omission of candidates in Kano and the authority behind the conflicting Zamfara results.

Sokoto: Atiku accuses SSS of plot to disrupt campaign launch

Atiku’s allegation came as the African Democratic Congress (ADC) prepared to launch its presidential campaign in Sokoto on Wednesday, 4 November.

Addressing journalists on Tuesday, the former vice-president accused the State Security Service (SSS), also known as the State Security Service (SSS), of recruiting protesters to cause disturbances that could give the APC-controlled Sokoto State Government grounds to impose a curfew.

He identified an office behind Zenith Bank on Koko Road as one alleged assembly point and claimed that trucks were transporting protesters to different locations.

He also alleged that some protesters had begun obstructing traffic, threatening motorists and assaulting residents.

PREMIUM TIMES could not independently verify the claims.

The SSS rejected the allegation. Its spokesperson, Favour Dozie, said the agency’s director-general had ordered an investigation.

The agency cited its protection of the ADC’s Sokoto governorship candidate, Manir Dan’iya, during an attack it dated to 31 October. It said two officers were injured while evacuating him and that the candidate subsequently thanked its Sokoto director and requested additional security.

The SSS also referred to its prosecution of a man accused of threatening NDC presidential candidate Peter Obi as evidence that it protected politicians regardless of party affiliation.

Neither example addressed Atiku’s specific allegation that SSS personnel were recruiting protesters.

Mr Dan’iya had separately alleged that security personnel obstructed his convoy near Sokoto airport on 30 October, fired shots and damaged his vehicle.

He accused personnel of the Sokoto Marshals and the state Community Guard of involvement.

The Sokoto APC denied political intimidation, saying security deployments were connected to preparations for a traditional title conferment ceremony. Police announced an investigation.

It was not established whether the SSS account of an incident on 31 October referred to the same confrontation.

The dispute over security followed the state government’s decision to seal a building used by the ADC on Ahmadu Bello Way.

Commissioner for Lands and Housing Nasiru Dantsoho said government records identified the defunct Savannah Bank as the property’s owner, with no documented transfer.

He said the government had asked the Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC) to clarify ownership and ordered the premises sealed, citing security concerns.

Atiku’s campaign spokesperson, Phrank Shaibu, acknowledged Savannah Bank’s ownership but challenged the government’s authority to close the building.

He told PREMIUM TIMES that political parties had occupied the premises for about two decades, most recently the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Mr Shaibu said he visited on Tuesday morning and encountered no physical restriction.

He also said the campaign had reported threats to the police, DSS and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps.

ADC National Publicity Secretary Bolaji Abdullahi separately warned the state government against interfering with opposition campaign activities.

Atiku insisted he would attend Wednesday’s launch. But Mr Shaibu said the party leadership had yet to announce a new venue.

The ADC had postponed the event from 31 October to 4 November. The disputed office has not been established as the intended launch venue.

Kano: INEC’s explanation leaves an earlier omission unanswered

In Kano, the dispute centres on the sequence of dates surrounding the exclusion of an opposition governorship ticket.

INEC cited a Federal High Court order to explain why it could not publish the names of Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) governorship candidate Aminu Abdussalam Gwarzo and his running mate, Mustapha Kwankwaso.

PREMIUM TIMES reported their omission on 11 October.

The application in the Federal High Court case was filed on 17 October, six days later. The interim order restricting changes to the candidates’ list followed later that month.

The suit, FHC/KN/CS/440/2026, was brought by Garba Isa, Yau Nasiru and Atiku Jamilu-Abubakar against INEC and the NDC.

Justice Samuel Amobeda restrained the commission from publishing the disputed NDC nomination or altering the existing list pending further proceedings.

INEC subsequently acknowledged that Mr Gwarzo had met its nomination requirements but said the court order prevented it from publishing his name.

The commission’s updated list marks both NDC slots “Court Order”.

The explanation accounts for the restriction imposed after litigation began, but not why the candidates were missing before the case was filed.

The dispute has also drawn accusations of political interference.

NDC vice-presidential candidate Rabiu Kwankwaso accused the APC and allies of Kano Governor Abba Yusuf of attempting to exclude the party’s governorship ticket.

Kano APC Chairman Umar Doguwa denied the allegation, describing the litigation as an internal NDC dispute and challenging Mr Kwankwaso to produce evidence of outside involvement.

The allegation that political opponents sponsored the action has not been substantiated.

Justice Amobeda scheduled further proceedings for 2 November. The outcome of that hearing had not been confirmed at Tuesday’s reporting cut-off.

Zamfara: Court-ordered primary produces competing results

A court-ordered rerun of the APC’s Zamfara North senatorial primary produced competing declarations of victory, alongside reports of violence and discrepancies in the announced figures.

PREMIUM TIMES reported that former senator Tijjani Yahaya Kaura was declared the winner with 16,758 votes.

Incumbent senator Sahabi Alhaji Ya’u received 1,465 votes, while Sani Abdullahi Shinkafi polled 1,447.

Those figures total 19,670 votes. Yet the same reported tally recorded only 19,492 valid votes and 19,608 accredited voters.

The votes credited to the three aspirants therefore exceed the announced valid votes by 178 and the number of accredited voters by 62.

PREMIUM TIMES had not obtained a signed result sheet to establish whether the discrepancy originated in the announcement or its reporting.

A second declaration introduced substantially different figures.

Channels Television reported that APC primary committee chair Auwal Abdullahi Aliyu declared Mr Ya’u the winner with 49,176 votes, against 9,628 for Mr Kaura and 2,602 for Mr Shinkafi.

Neither declaration had been independently established as the APC’s authorised result at Tuesday’s reporting cut-off.

Voting was also disrupted at centres in Kaura Namoda.

Reports described attacks by suspected political thugs, injuries and damage to a local government chairman’s vehicle.

The rerun followed the nullification of an earlier APC primary. The Federal High Court in Gusau ordered a fresh exercise on 31 August, and the Court of Appeal upheld the decision on 20 October.

The contest also involves politicians associated with different camps within the Zamfara APC. Mr Kaura is linked to former governor Abdul’aziz Yari, while Mr Ya’u is associated with former governor Bello Matawalle.

The APC has yet to establish which committee had authority to announce the result or produce an authenticated record reconciling the reported figures.

NNPP challenges defections by 45 lawmakers

The New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) opened another legal dispute on Tuesday, suing INEC and 45 lawmakers over their movement to other political parties.

The NNPP asked the Federal High Court in Abuja to examine whether legislators elected on its platform in 2023 could retain their seats after defecting.

It alleged that some had failed to follow resignation procedures required by the party’s constitution. In contrast, others remained on its membership register despite appearing on INEC’s candidate lists under different parties.

The action followed a letter sent to INEC on 19 October requesting an investigation into reported resignations and subsequent party memberships.

The suit invokes Sections 68 and 109 of the Constitution, which govern when federal and state lawmakers may lose their seats after changing parties, subject to exceptions.

The NNPP wants the court to determine whether the relevant legislative authorities should declare any affected seats vacant.

State police amendment crosses constitutional threshold

Twenty-eight state houses of assembly have approved a constitutional amendment bill that would permit states to establish their own police services.

The approvals exceed the minimum 24 required under Section 9 of the Constitution.

Clerk to the National Assembly Kamoru Ogunlana said his office had verified the resolutions and accompanying legislative records.

Under the proposed arrangement, state police services would operate alongside the federal police structure.

Governors would appoint state police commissioners on the recommendation of the appropriate police service commission, subject to confirmation by state legislatures.

Mr Ogunlana said his office had begun the administrative process towards transmitting the bill to President Bola Tinubu for assent.

The amendment has not become law. The remaining constitutional procedures must still be completed.

READ ALSO: 2027 Politics Watch: Battle for place on ballot, Kano question INEC yet to answer

Edo and Ekiti: Opposition parties demand investigations

In Edo, ADC, and NDC held a joint press conference alleging intimidation and attacks against opposition politicians and supporters.

They cited damage to an NDC office in Ikpoba-Okha, destruction of campaign billboards and a reported shooting in Igueben.

The parties demanded investigations, although responsibility for the incidents had not been established.

Former Owan West council chairman Dan Asekhame also made remarks invoking firearms in response to armed political opponents, despite the parties’ appeal for peaceful campaigning.

In Abuja, African Action Congress presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore and supporters protested at the police headquarters over an incident involving his team in Ekiti on 30 October.

Mr Sowore accused security personnel of involvement and demanded prosecutions.

Police described the incident as an altercation and announced 11 arrests. The SSS said it was awaiting the police investigation’s findings.

Obi’s supporters dispute campaign relationships

The OK Movement challenged claims that NDC presidential candidate Peter Obi and his running mate, Rabiu Kwankwaso, had distanced themselves from the organisation.

Its United Kingdom coordinator, Adebayo Brown, accused some figures linked to the Obidient Movement and the NDC campaign of encouraging division.

Campaign and Obidient representatives dismissed the disagreement as a distraction, and said their focus remained on mobilisation.

Wednesday’s test

Wednesday’s campaign launch in Sokoto will test whether the ADC can proceed with its plans amid the allegations against the DSS and the state government’s restrictions on a building used by the party.