The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has accused President Bola Tinubu’s administration of suppressing opposition voices after police reportedly blocked a “Tinubu Must Go” movement from accessing a privately hired venue in Kano State.
The opposition party condemned the reported police intervention, arguing that preventing political gatherings would not erase public anger over economic hardship, rising living costs and other challenges facing Nigerians.
In a statement attributed to the Director of Media and Publicity of the ADC Presidential Campaign Council, Kola Ologbondiyan, the party described the incident at The Avenue Event Centre as an alleged violation of Nigerians’ constitutional rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.
“You can stop a rally and arrest a venue owner, but you cannot arrest hunger in the land,” the party said.
The controversy arose on Sunday after Barrister Abba Hikima, one of the conveners of the “Tinubu Must Go” movement, alleged that more than 10 mobile police vehicles had been deployed around the event centre to prevent participants from entering.
Hikima said the group had paid to use the private facility and intended to hold a peaceful gathering to discuss its campaign against Tinubu’s administration ahead of the 2027 general elections.
In a video circulated online, the lawyer accused the police of obstructing the group’s activities despite its intention to meet in an enclosed venue.
He also alleged that Kano State Commissioner of Police, Ibrahim Adamu Bakori, contacted him on Saturday regarding the planned gathering and advised that the police be informed.
Hikima maintained that the group had the right to assemble and express its political views, citing Sections 35, 39 and 40 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended.
The ADC, in its reported reaction, questioned the rationale behind the police deployment and expressed concern over allegations that the owner of the event centre had been arrested for allowing the facility to be used for the meeting.
The party argued that business owners should not face intimidation for providing venues for peaceful political activities, describing the alleged incident as evidence of growing intolerance towards criticism of the Federal Government.
“This is not democracy. This is tyranny. For how long will the APC continue to use the police to suppress dissenting voices?” Ologbondiyan was quoted as saying.
The opposition party further argued that the government should direct its attention towards addressing insecurity, unemployment and the rising cost of living rather than disrupting gatherings organised by citizens expressing dissatisfaction with its policies.
It said the resources deployed to prevent the meeting could have been better used to tackle banditry, insecurity and the economic difficulties confronting households across the country.
The ADC 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 the individual remained in custody.
It urged police authorities to avoid actions that could undermine public confidence in the force or create the impression that security agencies were being used to advance partisan political interests.
The party also appealed to civil society organisations, human rights groups and the international community to pay attention to what it described as a threat to democratic freedoms in Nigeria.
According to the ADC, the right to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression should not depend on whether citizens support or oppose the government.
The incident comes as political groups begin mobilising support and building opposition to Tinubu’s administration ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The police had yet to provide a publicly confirmed explanation for the reported blockade in the accounts reviewed, while the allegation concerning the event centre owner’s arrest remained independently unverified.
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