Former Vice President and presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, has accused the leadership of the Department of State Services (DSS) of recruiting sponsored protesters to incite violence in Sokoto State.
Addressing a press conference in Abuja on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, Atiku alleged that the plot was designed to manufacture disorder, providing a pretext for the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led state government to declare a curfew and forcibly halt the ADC’s presidential campaign flag-off scheduled for Wednesday, November 4, 2026. ​
Speaking through his media team and addressing journalists directly, Atiku detailed intelligence gathered by the party regarding the logistics of the alleged operation. He revealed that state-sponsored agitators were being mobilised from a designated operational assembly point located in an office building directly behind Zenith Bank on Koko Road in Sokoto.
Heavy trucks were subsequently stationed at the site to dispatch recruited individuals to strategic locations across the city, primarily targetting major public roundabouts to stage artificial civil disturbances. ​The former vice president noted that the recruited crowds had already begun causing severe traffic gridlocks, threatening commuters, and assaulting local residents, with several groups dispersing from the roundabouts into shaded areas to maintain their presence.
He described these maneuvers as political interference disguised in official security uniforms, accusing state authorities and security apparatuses of deliberately blocking access to public campaign venues and withholding logistical support to deny the opposition a level playing field ahead of the 2027 elections. ​Reaffirming the party’s stance, Atiku stated that the ADC would proceed with its scheduled events despite administrative roadblocks and security intimidation.
He called on residents of Sokoto to remain calm and urged security agencies to discharge their duties impartially by protecting citizens and rally participants, warning that officers who collude to suppress constitutional freedoms will face legal accountability.
