‘Tinubu Must Go’: Nigeria's northern protests test the limits of political dissent

T-shirts bearing the slogan "Tinubu Must Go!" — a reference to Nigerian President Bola Tinubu — are at the center of an escalating crackdown on dissent in Nigeria's vast north.

Last month, police in the northeastern state of Borno arrested five men, aged between 21 and 44 over the shirts.

Authorities alleged the group had conspired to produce and wear them with the intention of breaching public peace. The men were subsequently charged with criminal conspiracy, inciting disturbance, disturbance of public peace and thuggery.

Drawing criticism from human rights groups and activists, police later explained that the arrests followed a routine patrol and that officers found substances believed to be illicit drugs and other items on them, arguing that they were not being prosecuted for expressing their political views.

But two weeks after the incident, police in the northern state of Kano blocked access to the venue of a planned meeting by members of the same movement citing concerns over public safety.

The cost of speaking out

The two incidents have raised questions about the thin line between legitimate security measures and expressing dissenting political views, with many questioning whether Nigeria's democracy provides enough space for citizens to challenge those in power.

Hassana Maina, a lawyer and activist, described the police action over the T-shirts as "despicable."

"It's very dishonest at best because the fight that we've had and the insecurity that has been caused, the solution to that is not to create a system … that thrives on fascism where dissenting voices are not allowed to exist, or people have to think in one particular way because that in itself is an assault to people's freedom," Maina told DW.

Amnesty International said the men were supporters of the opposition African Democratic Congress (ADC), reported news agency Agence France-Presse (AFP). 

This is not the first time authorities have persecuted citizens for airing views considered critical of the government.

Popular social media critic Abubakar Idris, who is popularly known as Dadiyata, went missing in August 2019 after armed men seized him from his residence in Kaduna State.

The prominent critic of the then Umar Ganduje administration in Kano State has not been seen since. 

In another incident, 18-year-old Hamdiyya Sharif was arrested and remanded in prison for posting a TikTok video criticizing the Sokoto State governor's handling of security in the northwestern state.

Sharif talked about how criminal gangs, known locally as bandits, were pillaging local villages and the plight of displaced women in the state.

After the video went viral, she was arrested and charged in a Sharia court for the use of abusive language against the state governor, Ahmed Aliyu, and "inciting disturbance."

Beyond the slogan

The "Tinubu Must Go" movement opposes the current administration of Nigerian President Bola Tinubu and says it wants to mobilize Nigerians ahead of Nigeria's January 2027 presidential election.

But the grievances behind the opposition extend beyond a demand for a change in leadership.

Nigeria is facing one of its worst economic crises in recent times. Food prices are at their highest level in over 20 years, and high inflation and skyrocketing transportation costs are exacerbating the cost of living crisis. 

Across the northern part of the country, insecurity is still pervasive, especially in rural communities.

For more than a decade, militant Islamist movement Boko Haram and its factions have waged an extended armed rebellion against the state.

The insurgency has killed hundreds of thousands of people and displaced millions from their homes, disrupting the livelihood and economic activities in the region despite years of military operations.

Isa Sanusi, executive director of Amnesty International in Nigeria, said the clampdown on people wearing "Tinubu Must Go!" T-shirts represents a disturbing pattern of repression of the right to freedom of association and expression.

"People are free to support or oppose a political party or candidate. It is unacceptable that just wearing a T-shirt can become a reason for arrest and detention," he told DW. "These actions carried out by police constitute an attack on democracy itself."

Nigeria's long-running intolerance for dissent

As Nigeria prepares for its next general elections, Sanusi argued that elections are central to democracy but they're not the only measure.

He added that the state of democracy in Nigeria should also be assessed "based on freedom and protection of rights."

"What we have now is a damning outlook, as people are attacked and detained simply for their political views or opinions," he told DW. "We have opposition politicians being denied space to hold political gatherings, and hotels threatened not to allow opposition to use their spaces."

Recently, the management of Arewa House, a research and historical documentation center in Kaduna, withdrew its approval for the presentation of a book deemed to be critical of the government, citing operational issues.

The idea of a thriving democracy without strong opposition is a farce, reiterated Hassan, the lawyer and activist.

She noted that the country must "reject the idea especially that this government is trying to sell to us that because you're opposing the government or you're opposing the policies of the government and you're opposing the state, and somehow they want to bring your patriotism into question, there's no one way to be patriotic."

"Standing up against policies that you think [are] bad for the development of your country, I think it's patriotism at its finest," she told DW.

Edited by: Keith Walker