The African Democratic Congress Presidential Campaign Council (ADC-PCC) has condemned the disruption of the “Tinubu Must Go” rally in Kano by the police, demanding the immediate and unconditional release of the owner of the event centre where the gathering was scheduled to be held.
The council described the police action as “shameful” and unconstitutional, accusing the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led government of using security operatives to suppress dissenting voices.
In a statement issued on Sunday, the ADC-PCC Director of Media and Publicity, Kola Ologbondiyan, said police operatives barricaded The Avenue Event Center in Kano, where the rally, led by Barrister Abba Hikima and organised by concerned youths, was scheduled to take place.
The council said it was particularly outraged by the reported arrest of the event centre’s owner for allegedly allowing the facility to be used for the gathering, questioning why a business owner should be detained for providing a venue for a peaceful assembly.
“This is not democracy. This is tyranny. For how long will the APC continue to use the police to suppress dissenting voices?” Ologbondiyan queried.
He said the disruption was a violation of Nigerians’ constitutional rights to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression, adding that the youths had demonstrated courage by insisting on making their voices heard despite the alleged intimidation.
Ologbondiyan also argued that the government was prioritising the suppression of protests over the country’s pressing economic and security challenges.
“The message from Kano is loud and clear: Nigerians are tired, hungry and angry. You can stop a rally and arrest a venue owner, but you cannot arrest hunger in the land. You cannot barricade the anger and frustration of over 200 million people,” he said.
The ADC-PCC spokesman added that the government should redirect the resources and determination deployed to disrupt the rally towards tackling insecurity, banditry and the rising cost of living.
“If the APC government had deployed the same energy it used to stop a peaceful rally at The Avenue Event Center to tackle insecurity, banditry and the excruciating cost of living, Nigeria would be a safer and more prosperous nation,” he said.
The council commended Hikima and the participating youths for their determination to speak out, while urging the Inspector-General of Police and the Kano State Police Command to ensure the immediate and unconditional release of the event centre’s owner, if still in custody.
It also called on the police to desist from actions capable of turning the force into an instrument of political oppression, urging civil society organisations, human rights groups and the international community to pay attention to what it described as an erosion of democratic freedoms.
“The right to protest is not a privilege granted by the police or the APC; it is a right guaranteed by the Constitution. No amount of intimidation will stop Nigerians from demanding change,” Ologbondiyan said.
“The ADC stands firmly with Barrister Abba Hikima, the courageous youths of Kano and every Nigerian who has found the courage to say enough is enough,” the statement added.
