The Nasarawa State chapter of the Social Democratic Party has dismissed claims by the state government linking former Governor Tanko Al-Makura and former Inspector-General of Police Mohammed Abubakar Adamu to the disruption of events during Vice-President Kashim Shettima’s visit to Lafia.
According to Punch, the trouble started when youth groups allegedly disrupted Shettima's visit to the Emir of Lafia’s palace and the All Progressives Congress presidential campaign rally held in the state capital. The state government claimed that individuals wearing shirts with Al-Makura’s picture blocked the Vice-President's convoy and threw an object toward the main podium, prompting Governor Abdullahi Sule to order a security probe into the sponsors.
Responding in a statement, Otaru Douglas, the media director for the Adamu Campaign Organisation, described the accusations as baseless and politically motivated. He stated that Adamu was not present at the venue and maintained that neither the former police chief nor Al-Makura sponsored any group to embarrass the Vice-President.
The SDP argued that the disturbances during the rally were an expression of public frustration with the current APC administration rather than an organised plot by opposition leaders. Douglas also pointed to unresolved internal crises within the ruling party as the true source of local tension, claiming that many former APC members had moved to the SDP.
On the other hand, the Secretary to the State Government, Labaran Magaji, insisted that opposition elements infiltrated the venue in APC apparel to chant slogans and cause unrest. Governor Sule expressed deep concern over the event, describing it as an embarrassment to Nasarawa State and calling for a full inquiry into who ordered tear gas to be fired near the VIP podium.
The SDP has urged law enforcement agencies to carry out an objective investigation and avoid being used to target political opponents unfairly.
