Adebayo Kicks Against Detention Of ‘Tinubu Must Go’ Protesters

The Social Democratic Party (SDP) Presidential candidate, Prince Adewole Adebayo, has described the continued detention of the Tinubu Must Go protesters as an infringement on democratic freedoms.

Naija News reports that the protesters identified as Ba’ana Grema, Mustapha Abba, Abacha Mohammed Ali, Adam Umar Gubio and Abdulhamid Mohammed are reportedly being held in a correctional facility in Borno State.

Speaking via a press release signed by Mark Adebayo, Head of Media and Communications Directorate for the Adebayo-Bugaje Presidential Campaign, the SDP flag bearer warned against turning Nigeria into a gestapo state.

He called for the immediate and unconditional release of all detained protesters.

The statement reads, “In recent days, over six peaceful citizens and coordinators of the “Tinubu Must Go” movement have been unlawfully arrested in Borno State simply for wearing symbolic T-shirts and exercising their constitutional right to free expression.

“Across major hubs including Lagos, Abuja, Kano, and Katsina, dynamic tracking indicators show that dozens of peaceful demonstrators have been systematically targeted, hounded, or detained by state security apparatuses intent on silencing dissenting voices. 

“My Campaign notes with grave concern that under Section 40 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended), peaceful assembly, political association, and the expression of dissatisfaction with governance are unassailable, legally protected rights. Expressing a political opinion or wearing a slogan is not a crime, and state governors or federal security agencies have no authority to criminalise peaceful dissent.

“The desperate scramble for a second-term bid by the current administration must not be built upon the ashes of Nigeria’s democracy.

“President Bola Tinubu must be reminded that Nigeria belongs to its people; the citizens are not slaves in their own country, and they cannot be threatened into absolute silence while facing unprecedented economic hardships and insecurity.

“Furthermore, the aggressive destruction and pulling down of opposition billboards – as witnessed during recent youth-led civic frustrations over re-election advertisements – demonstrate an intolerant political atmosphere where fair competition is being rapidly eliminated by desperate state actors. 

“The Adebayo-Bugaje Campaign demands the immediate and unconditional release of all detained “Tinubu Must Go” ambassadors and protesters across the federation. The administration must redirect its security forces toward combating the real enemies of the state – the bandits, kidnappers, and terrorists terrorising innocent Nigerians – rather than treating peaceful, frustrated citizens as coup plotters. 

“We urge all well-meaning Nigerians to remain resolute, peaceful, and law-abiding. While we stand in absolute solidarity with every citizen exercising their constitutional right to protest these agonizing hardships, we strongly advise the electorate to preserve this collective energy. The ultimate antidote to institutional tyranny and bad governance is a strategic focus on the ballot box. Let us organize, protect our democratic spaces, and channel this rejection of oppression into decisive votes to rescue Nigeria.”