Firdaus Obiremi
A Peoples Democratic Party candidate in Katsina State, Nasir Saad Ahmed, has petitioned the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, over the alleged arrest and detention of three of his supporters for reportedly expressing opposition to the ruling All Progressives Congress.
Ahmed, who is contesting the Malumfashi/Kafur Federal Constituency seat in the House of Representatives, alleged that the three supporters were arrested for saying “Bamayi APC,” a Hausa expression meaning “We don’t want APC.”
In a petition dated October 23, 2026, and submitted through his lawyers, Clear Thought Legal Services (Jideofo Chambers), the PDP candidate accused unnamed political actors in the APC of allegedly using security agencies to intimidate opposition supporters ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The petition, signed by Ikechukwu Obasi, identified the arrested supporters as Aisaru Sulaiman, Auwalu Ahamad and Abdullahi Garba.
According to the document, the three men were arrested on October 20, 2026. Sulaiman, Ahamad and Garba were said to be indigenes of Mahuta Ward in Kafur Local Government Area and Nazifi Hayin Gada in Malumfashi Local Government Area of the state.
Ahmed alleged that the arrests followed the supporters’ expression of dissatisfaction with the APC-led government and their decision to identify with another political party.
He attributed their alleged grievances to economic hardship, rising cost of living, the collapse of small businesses and worsening insecurity in their communities.
“The expression of their thought and grave dissatisfaction was necessitated by the current economic hardship, high cost of living, collapse of small-scale businesses, and the disturbing insecurity in their communities and state in general,” the petition stated.
The PDP candidate maintained that the expression was political in nature and was not accompanied by any threat of violence.
He further alleged that the arrests were orchestrated by political figures in Kafur Local Government Area, naming the serving APC member of the House of Representatives for Malumfashi/Kafur, the APC lawmaker representing Kafur in the Katsina State House of Assembly, the chairman of Kafur Local Government and an individual identified as Alhaji Mahuta.
The allegations against the individuals have not been independently established.
Ahmed described the incident as part of an alleged pattern of political intimidation intended to discourage citizens from openly expressing support for opposition parties as preparations for the 2027 elections gather momentum.
He also claimed that some of the affected supporters had previously supported the APC but subsequently decided to back another political party because of their dissatisfaction with the party’s leadership and candidates.
“Extremely disturbing is that three law-abiding Nigerian citizens remain in unlawful custody to date without charge for merely exercising their rights to freedom of expression,” the petition alleged.
The candidate expressed concern that the continued detention of the supporters, if established as alleged, could undermine political participation and create tension in the constituency ahead of the next general elections.
Citing Sections 35, 39 and 40 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, Ahmed argued that the alleged arrests raised concerns about the constitutional rights to personal liberty, freedom of expression, and freedom of assembly and association.
He warned that the use of security agencies to suppress political opposition would weaken democratic participation and create an atmosphere of fear among voters and party supporters.
The petitioner also expressed concern that youths in the affected communities were reportedly planning a peaceful protest over the arrests, warning that the situation could escalate if the authorities failed to intervene promptly.
Ahmed consequently asked the IGP to order the immediate and unconditional release of the three supporters, investigate the circumstances surrounding their arrest and establish whether any political figures influenced the action.
He specifically requested an investigation into the roles allegedly played by the federal and state lawmakers, the Kafur council chairman and the individual identified as Alhaji Mahuta.
The PDP candidate further urged the police chief to direct the Katsina State Police Command to ensure that security agencies remained impartial and were not used to settle political scores or intimidate citizens because of their political preferences.
He also called for equal security protection for all political candidates, their supporters and residents of Malumfashi and Kafur to enable them to participate freely and peacefully in political activities.
Despite the allegations, Ahmed said he had advised his supporters against taking the law into their own hands.
“We have advised our Client and his teeming supporters numbering in the thousands to remain calm, more civil, peaceful and law-abiding and not to take the law into their own hands,” the legal team stated.
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