ADC: Sokoto crowd turns out for Atiku, rejects Tinubu’s hardship

The African Democratic Congress Presidential Campaign Council (ADC-PCC) has described the large reception given to its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, in Sokoto on Wednesday as a clear sign of public frustration with the Tinubu administration and growing support for the party’s pledge to make life more affordable.

According to a statement signed by Phrank Shaibu, Director of Strategic Communication of the ADC Presidential Campaign Council, the campaign train was flagged off in the state capital amid a mammoth crowd that lined the route from Sultan Muhammad III International Airport to the party’s state secretariat.

The motorcade took three and a half hours to reach the rally venue as men and women, young and old, including mothers, gathered to welcome and accompany Atiku. In several parts of the city, work came to a standstill. People left their offices and abandoned their daily activities to join the procession and attend the rally.

“This was not a crowd assembled by inducement. It was a spontaneous turnout by Nigerians who are struggling with the cost of food, transport, fuel and other basic necessities,” the statement said.

The ADC said attempts to frustrate the rally only deepened public resentment. It claimed the Sokoto State Government denied the party access to public facilities requested for the campaign flag-off and placed obstacles in the path of its legitimate activities.

“The federal government and its APC allies should understand that denying people a venue cannot suppress their political choices. In Sokoto, those efforts backfired: the people came out in even greater numbers and made their voices heard,” the council stated.

At the rally, Atiku reaffirmed his commitment to tackling the cost-of-living crisis and restoring hope to households and businesses. His plan includes a targeted, production-based subsidy for qualifying petroleum products refined in Nigeria.

By tying support to domestic production, the policy is expected to help bring down the cost of fuel and ease the pressure that high transport and energy costs place on food prices and family budgets.

“The ADC’s message is clear: Nigerians deserve a government that makes life more affordable, supports local production and responds to the hardship people face every day,” the statement added.

It concluded that when a message connects with the people, there is no need to rent a crowd. The people show up on their own.

The flag-off comes against the backdrop of earlier tensions in the state. Atiku had on Tuesday accused the Sokoto State Government and the Department of State Services of plotting to disrupt the event, alleging that protesters were being mobilised to create disorder and provide a pretext for a curfew. Security agencies denied the claims.

Supporters chanted “Tinubu Must Go” as Atiku’s convoy moved through the city, and traffic was heavy around key entry points and the airport area following his arrival.