ADC-PCC CONDEMNS POLICE DISRUPTION OF ‘TINUBU MUST GO’ RALLY IN KANO
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By: Muftau Fatimo
The African Democratic Congress Presidential Campaign Council (ADC-PCC) has condemned the disruption of the ‘Tinubu Must Go’ rally in Kano by the state police command, describing the action as shameful and unconstitutional.
In a statement issued on Sunday by its Director of Media and Publicity, Kola Ologbondiyan, the council accused the police of violating Nigerians’ constitutional rights to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression.
The rally, led by Barrister Abba Hikima and organised by concerned youths, was reportedly disrupted after police officers barricaded The Avenue Event Center in Kano and allegedly intimidated participants.
Despite the police intervention, the ADC-PCC said the youths remained determined to express their grievances.
The council also expressed concern over the reported arrest of the event centre’s owner for allegedly allowing the facility to be used for the gathering, questioning the justification for arresting a business owner over a venue provided for a peaceful protest.
“This is not democracy. This is tyranny. For how long will the APC continue to use the police to suppress dissenting voices?” Ologbondiyan asked.
He described the incident as ironic, arguing that a government that professed commitment to democratic principles appeared threatened by citizens exercising their constitutional rights.
“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.
Ologbondiyan further accused the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led government of misplaced priorities, arguing that the resources deployed to disrupt the rally should instead be channelled towards addressing 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 added.
The ADC-PCC commended Hikima and the youths who participated in the rally for expressing their views despite the reported police intimidation.
The council also called on 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 he remained in custody.
It urged the police to refrain from actions that could undermine public confidence in the force or turn it into an instrument of political suppression.
Furthermore, the council appealed to civil society organisations, human rights groups and the international community to monitor what it described as a growing threat to democratic freedoms in Nigeria.
“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,” the statement added.
The ADC-PCC reaffirmed its support for Hikima, the participating youths and other Nigerians seeking political change through the exercise of their constitutional rights.
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