African Democratic Congress Presidential Campaign Council (ADC-PCC) has condemned the disruption of the “Tinubu Must Go” rally in Kano by the police, describing the action as unconstitutional and undemocratic.
The council alleged that police operatives barricaded The Avenue Event Center, where the peaceful rally was scheduled to hold.
In a statement issued on Sunday by its Director of Media and Publicity, Kola Ologbondiyan, the ADC-PCC accused the APC-led government of using the police to suppress dissenting voices.
It claimed the rally, led by Barrister Abba Hikima and organised by concerned youths, was peaceful before it was disrupted.
The council also alleged that the owner of The Avenue Event Center was arrested for allowing the facility to be used for the gathering.
Ologbondiyan questioned why a business owner should be arrested for providing a venue for a peaceful event.
He said the action showed growing intolerance of opposing views and warned that it threatened Nigeria’s democracy.
According to him, stopping rallies would not solve the hardship, hunger and frustration facing many Nigerians.
He argued that the government should focus more on fighting insecurity, banditry and the rising cost of living.
The ADC-PCC praised Barrister Hikima and the youths who participated in the rally for what it described as their courage despite the reported police intimidation.
The council called on the Inspector-General of Police and the Kano State Police Command to immediately release the event centre owner if he is still in custody.
It also urged civil society groups and the international community to monitor what it described as the growing erosion of democratic freedoms in Nigeria.