A fresh dispute has broken out between the opposition African Democratic Congress (ADC) and the Kaduna State Government over Arewa House, the historic Kaduna landmark the party says it booked for a consultation between its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, and Northern stakeholders. The ADC says the building was sealed to block the meeting. The state government says it had nothing to do with it and does not even own the property.
The row, which played out on Wednesday and Thursday, adds to rising tension between the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the opposition as campaigns for the 2027 general elections gather pace.
What the ADC is alleging
In a statement on Wednesday, Phrank Shaibu, Director of Strategic Communication of the ADC Presidential Campaign Council, said Atiku’s team had proposed Arewa House as the venue for a consultation with Northern leaders scheduled for Thursday, and that the building was then sealed by what it called the APC-led state government, according to reports by Premium Times, Vanguard and Peoples Gazette.
Atiku himself was quoted as saying the APC government “decided to seal the building” after his team chose the venue. The party described Arewa House as part of the shared heritage of the peoples of Northern Nigeria and said using it as a tool against a political gathering was an affront to the region’s culture and dignity.
The ADC linked the incident to what it called a pattern of obstruction, recalling that it had faced similar difficulties during its campaign flag-off in Sokoto. The party said it held President Bola Tinubu and the APC politically responsible, but insisted it would not be intimidated and would carry on with its consultations across the country.
Kaduna government: “We do not own Arewa House”
The Kaduna State Government has rejected the accusation. The state Commissioner for Information and Culture, Ahmed Maiyaki, described the claim as totally untrue and an attempt to damage the image of Governor Uba Sani, Leadership and Daily Post reported.
Maiyaki said the state played no part in any closure of the facility because Arewa House is not state property. According to the commissioner, it belongs to the Federal Government and is run by Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria. He added that any political party is free to use the facility as long as it follows the proper booking procedures, and denied that the government was trying to restrict opposition activity.
Earlier, an official of the Kaduna Government House media office told TheGuildNG that he had not heard of any sealing, without confirming or denying whether the building had in fact been closed. The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has also said it was not aware of any planned meeting with Atiku and that Arewa House is not its property.
As of Thursday morning, Flashinfong had not seen any public statement from ABU or the police explaining whether the building had been closed, or why.
What is Arewa House?
Located on Rabah Road in Kaduna, Arewa House was once the residence and office of Sir Ahmadu Bello, the Premier of the defunct Northern Region. Since the 1970s it has served as ABU’s Centre for Historical Documentation and Research, housing an archive, library and museum devoted to the history of Northern Nigeria.
Because of that history, the building carries strong symbolic weight in Northern politics, and it regularly hosts lectures, conferences and meetings of regional groups. That symbolism is one reason the ADC chose it for a meeting aimed at courting Northern leaders, and why the party framed the alleged closure as an insult to the region.
A tense campaign season
The dispute comes in a difficult week for the ADC. In the same statement, the party criticised the timing of the release of the certified true copy of a Federal High Court judgment by Justice Peter Lifu affecting the process that produced its presidential ticket, saying it came at the end of the constitutional window and left little time to prepare an appeal. The party said it would study the judgment and pursue every lawful remedy.
Meanwhile, President Tinubu has stepped up his own campaign in the North, holding a rally and commissioning projects in Jigawa State on Tuesday, while APC governors have urged Northern voters to back his re-election.
What happens next
It remains unclear whether Atiku’s consultation with Northern stakeholders will go ahead at Arewa House, move to another venue, or be postponed. The ADC has said its engagements will continue regardless. Any clarification from Ahmadu Bello University, which manages the facility, is likely to be key to settling who, if anyone, ordered a closure.
Flashinfong will update this story as more information becomes available.
Sources: Premium Times, Vanguard, Peoples Gazette, Leadership, Legit.ng, TheGuildNG, Daily Post.
