Adeyanju condemns hoodlum attack on El-Rufai’s supporters, calls it “political intolerance”

Rights activist Deji Adeyanju has condemned an alleged pro-government-sponsored hoodlum attack on an ADC Coalition meeting of supporters of former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, in Kaduna, describing the incident as political intolerance that strikes at basic democratic freedoms.

“I condemn in its entirety the pro government sponsored hoodlum attack on El-Rufai’s ADC Coalition meeting in Kaduna which has led to injury of several of their members and damage of vehicles. Democracy is about the freedom of choice and association. People should be able to congregate and oppose the government in a democracy.”

Adeyanju’s intervention comes amid long-running concerns over political thuggery and the shrinking of civic space during contentious gatherings across Nigeria.

The 1999 Constitution guarantees freedoms of association and assembly, and rights groups have repeatedly warned that tolerated violence at political meetings chills participation and erodes trust in the rule of law.

“Every citizen of Nigeria should be able to hold divergent political views, hold meetings or assemble with others to express their political views and oppose those in power without fear of attack by the government or its proxies.”

Alleging that security agents were on hand during the disruption, Adeyanju faulted the conduct around the event and urged accountability to uphold constitutional guarantees.

“The sad part is that the attack on ElRufai’s supporters happened in the presence of police officers. This is political intolerance and it is completely unacceptable.”