Police Disrupt ‘Tinubu Must Go’ Meeting in Kano
By Fahad Faruk Galadanchi
Abba Hikima Esq, a Kano-based lawyer and leading co-convener of the Tinubu Must Go (TMG) movement, has condemned the police blockade of the group’s planned first physical meeting in Kano State, describing the action as undemocratic and oppressive.
The meeting, scheduled for 10:00 a.m. on Sunday, October 11, 2026, at The Avenue Event and Conference Centre in Kano, was disrupted after security operatives reportedly prevented organisers and participants from accessing the venue.
Reports indicated that more than several police vehicles were deployed around the premises, while the conference centre was reportedly ordered to shut its doors. Some individuals associated with the gathering were also said to have been arrested or prevented from entering the venue.
Following the disruption, supporters of the movement, dressed in branded T-shirts and caps and carrying placards bearing the inscription “Tinubu Must Go!”, gathered outside the facility, where Hikima addressed them.
Speaking, the lawyer criticised the police action, arguing that it infringed on citizens constitutional rights to peaceful assembly, freedom of association and freedom of expression.
Hikima said the Kano State Commissioner of Police, Bakori, had contacted him to complain that the movement failed to notify the command in advance about its meeting.
According to him, he told the commissioner that the gathering was scheduled to take place within an enclosed private facility and that there was no constitutional requirement for the organisers to seek police protection for such a meeting.
He maintained that preventing a private political gathering from holding amounted to an attempt to suppress dissent and undermine democratic principles.
The TMG co-convener also criticised the Inspector-General of Police, Tunji Disu, accusing him of partisanship and suggesting that his alleged political alignment should be openly displayed.
“The Inspector-General of Police, Tunji Disu, is partisan; therefore, he should be wearing shirts with insignia” Hikima said.
He further argued that the disruption reflected what he described as the administration’s fear of opposition movements and growing campaigns against President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid.
Despite the police action, Hikima insisted that the movement would not abandon its activities, urging supporters to remain steadfast in their campaign to unseat Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election.
The Tinubu Must Go movement is a grassroots political campaign mobilising opposition to the President’s re-election, citing economic hardship, insecurity and concerns over governance.
The group has previously engaged in online political mobilisation, including polls expressing support for opposition political alternatives, and has distributed branded campaign materials as part of its activities.
The Kano TMG incident comes amid broader concerns over the exercise of political freedoms and reports of restrictions on gatherings associated with campaigns against the President’s re-election.
