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From Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has condemned the alleged arrest of five Nigerians in Borno State over T-shirts with “Tinubu Must Go” inscription.
Atiku, who is also the African Democratic Congress (ADC) 2027 Presidential Candidate, said those responsible for the alleged arrest must explain how wearing a shirt became an offence in a democracy.
The former Vice President,in a statement by the Director of Strategic Communication of the ADC Presidential Campaign Council, Phrank Shaibu, stated that President Bola Tinubu once stood with Nigerians protesting fuel prices under President Goodluck Jonathan.
Nonetheless, he stated that President Tinubu now presides over a cost-of-living crisis that has made the same fuel, along with food, transport and electricity, painfully expensive.
According to him, “Tinubu opposed Jonathan’s fuel policy in the streets. Nigerians are living with the consequences of Tinubu’s fuel policy in their homes. Parents are cutting meals. Workers can scarcely afford the journey to work.
“Families are being crushed by bills that rise faster than their income. And when citizens put their anger on a T-shirt, the response is reportedly an arrest. What kind of democracy grants its President the right to protest, then takes that right away from everyone else?” Atiku asked.
“‘Tinubu Must Go’ is a demand for political change. It is not a weapon, a threat or a crime. President Tinubu can disagree with those words. He can campaign against them. He cannot make people disappear into custody for wearing them.”
Atiku charged the authorities to “disclose the detainees’ whereabouts, grant them immediate access to their families and lawyers, and release them if the slogan is the basis for their arrest.
“Tinubu was free to tell Jonathan that his policies were hurting Nigerians. Nigerians must be free to tell Tinubu that his policies are hurting them. Release these five citizens now.”
