Zulum’s alleged threat to arrest ‘Tinubu Must Go’ protesters is assault on democracy — ADC PCC

Zulum’s alleged threat to arrest ‘Tinubu Must Go’ protesters is assault on democracy — ADC PCC

The Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has accused Borno State Governor Babagana Zulum of assaulting democracy over an alleged directive to arrest people expressing support for the “Tinubu Must Go” campaign.

The ADC PCC made the allegation in a statement signed by its Director of Strategic Communications, Phrank Shaibu, on Sunday, October 4, 2026, following the emergence of a viral video purportedly showing Zulum speaking in Hausa and ordering the arrest and detention of anyone caught expressing “Tinubu Must Go”.

According to the statement, the video “raises grave questions about his respect for citizens’ democratic rights.”

The ADC campaign council said the development was particularly concerning because Zulum had recently denied ordering the arrest of people wearing “Tinubu Must Go” T-shirts.

“He must explain the fresh video and reconcile its contents with that denial. Nigerians deserve clarity, not contradictory messages about whether peaceful critics will be arrested,” the statement said.

The opposition group argued that citizens have a constitutional right to express political opinions, insisting that criticism of President Bola Tinubu should not be treated as a criminal offence.

“No governor has the authority to criminalise peaceful political opinion. A slogan, a T-shirt or a call for a president to leave office is not, by itself, a crime,” the statement said.

The ADC PCC further warned against using Borno State security agencies to suppress political dissent.

“Borno State is not a political detention centre, and its citizens must not be threatened into silence for opposing President Tinubu,” it said.

The group urged the authorities to follow due process if anyone is suspected of committing an offence unrelated to their political views.

“If the authorities have credible evidence of a separate offence, they should present it in court and allow due process to take its course. They must not use other allegations as a cover to punish citizens for their political views,” the statement added.

The ADC PCC called on Zulum to withdraw any directive allegedly targeting peaceful protesters and guarantee that no one would be arrested merely for expressing opposition to Tinubu.

“We call on Governor Zulum to withdraw any directive targeting peaceful protesters and to guarantee that no one will be arrested solely for expressing opposition to President Tinubu,” it said.

The group added: “A government confident in its record answers criticism with evidence and performance—not threats of arrest and detention.”