The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has asked the Inspector-General of Police to withdraw the summons issued to Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, former governor of Kaduna, and Abubakar Malami, former Attorney-General of the Federation.
The party said the invitations were politically motivated and a ploy to silence opposition voices.
Bolaji Abdullahi, ADC national publicity secretary, said in a statement on Friday that the police were more focused on intimidating politicians than confronting terrorists and bandits across the north.
He accused the police of sealing the party’s Kaduna office and ignoring violent attacks on ADC gatherings while targeting victims with investigations.
Abdullahi said the party would not be intimidated and vowed to stand by its leaders and members.
His words: “We demand that the police authorities unseal the ADC office in Kaduna State, and stop the illegal obstruction of lawful political activity.
“No democracy can thrive where opposition party structures are routinely shut down under vague pretexts.
“The Nigeria Police must also publish the names of those who filed complaints that triggered these recent investigations and summons.
“The public deserves to know who is behind these attacks on political freedom, and what interests they serve.
“We further demand that security agencies arrest and prosecute those responsible for the attack on Abubakar Malami’s convoy in Kebbi State, as well as the violent thugs who disrupted our stakeholders’ meeting in Kaduna.
“The failure to bring these perpetrators to justice only emboldens further violence.
“In addition, we call for an internal disciplinary process within the police to investigate officers who were present during these incidents but failed to act
“Those who stood by and allowed political violence to occur should not be wearing the uniform of the Nigerian state.
“Finally, we urge the Federal Government to redirect the focus of the Nigeria Police toward their primary duty—protecting the lives and property of all Nigerians— instead of being used as a tool of political manipulation.”