The Kaduna State Government has denied sealing the Arewa House in Kaduna to stop a planned consultation between former Vise President, Atiku Abubakar and Northern stakeholders.
Commissioner for Information and Culture, Ahmed Maiyaki, rejected the claim as baseless, adding the state government was not part of the reported action.
He claimed Arewa House was not property of the state government but federal government property owned by Ahmadu Bello University, ABU.
“We are not the owners of Arewa House. “It is Federal Government property, owned by Ahmadu Bello University,” he added.
He also denied the allegation that the government was trying to impede the operations of the opposition, saying that political parties were allowed to use state-owned facilities as long as they followed due process.
The commissioner accused the accusers of aiming to tarnish the image of Governor Uba Sani, described as a long-time proponent of democracy and civil society.
Earlier, the African Democratic Congress,ADC, presidential candidate Atiku had accused the APC-led government of shutting the historic site where his campaign team had organised a consultation with Northern stakeholders for Thursday.
Atiku, in a statement signed by the Director of Strategic Communication of his campaign, Phrank Shaibu, described the incident as part of what he called a pattern of attempts to hinder his political operations.
The ADC further said that the denial of entry to Arewa House for the intended gathering was an insult to the common heritage of Northern Nigeria.
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