ADC Condemns Zulum’s Alleged Fresh Order To Arrest “Tinubu Must Go” Protesters
By Sunday Etuka
The Presidential Campaign Council of the African Democratic Congress (ADC PCC) has criticised Borno State Governor Babagana Zulum over a viral video in which he reportedly directs the arrest and detention of anyone heard chanting “Tinubu Must Go.” The party said the video contradicts his earlier denial of ordering arrests over the slogan.
In a press statement on Sunday, the ADC PCC’s Director of Strategic Communications, Phrank Shaibu, said the video, in which the governor speaks in Hausa, raises serious questions about his respect for citizens’ democratic rights.
Shaibu noted that Zulum recently denied ordering the arrest of people wearing “Tinubu Must Go” T-shirts.
He said the governor must explain the new video and reconcile it with that denial, adding that Nigerians deserve clarity rather than contradictory messages on whether peaceful critics will be arrested.
The party argued that no governor has the power to criminalise peaceful political opinion.
According to Shaibu, a slogan, a T-shirt or a call for a president to leave office is not, in itself, a crime.
He said Borno State is not a political detention centre, and its citizens must not be threatened into silence for opposing President Bola Tinubu.
Shaibu said that if the authorities have credible evidence of a separate offence, they should present it in court and let due process run its course.
He warned against using other allegations as cover to punish citizens for their political views.
The ADC PCC called on Zulum to withdraw any directive targeting peaceful protesters and to guarantee that no one will be arrested solely for expressing opposition to the president.
“A government confident in its record answers criticism with evidence and performance, not threats of arrest and detention,” the statement said.
