Former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, asserts that he does not need police permission to exercise his constitutional right to freedom of association.
El-Rufai, speaking on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, dismissed claims by security authorities that the African Democratic Congress (ADC) gathering was disrupted due to a lack of police notification.
“What is proper notification? Under which law, under which section of the Constitution? No one can abridge my right of association; no one can ask me to give any notice. I can give if I choose, but it is not a legal or constitutional requirement,” he stated.
The former governor emphasized, “People should stop overreaching themselves just because they hold a position today. I was governor for eight years and never stopped any opposition party from holding meetings.”
El-Rufai accused the Kaduna State Government of sponsoring the attack and claimed that police officers present did nothing to protect citizens.
“These thugs are government-sponsored. We used to have policemen; now we have shadows of policemen. They were there, and I am submitting a petition to the Inspector General of Police as well as the Police Service Commission.
“When law enforcement agents facilitate and protect those who engage in violence, we are heading towards the destruction of everything we stand for,” he said.
On Saturday, suspected thugs disrupted the inauguration of the transition committee members of a coalition of opposition parties under the ADC in Kaduna State.
The assailants, armed with cutlasses, clubs, and stones, attacked participants and vandalized property.
The coalition included members from an All Progressives Congress (APC) faction opposed to the state leadership, alongside the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Social Democratic Party (SDP), New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Labour Party (LP), and the ADC.
Despite the violence, the inauguration proceeded under tense conditions. The Kaduna State Police Command, however, blamed El-Rufai for the incident.
Its spokesperson, DSP Mansir Hassan, stated that El-Rufai failed to notify police and security agencies about the meeting, despite warnings.
Hassan confirmed that an investigation into the alleged political violence and reported shootings at the gathering had begun.
El-Rufai, reacting to the police’s stance, described the situation as “a dangerous descent into lawlessness” and warned against political thuggery in the state.
He further alleged that senior police officers at the venue “stood by and watched” as the violence unfolded.
