The police have reportedly blocked members of the ‘Tinubu Must Go’ movement from accessing a venue for their planned meeting in Kano State.
Abba Hikima, a lawyer and one of the conveners of the movement, raised the alarm in a live video posted on his verified Facebook page on Sunday, October 11, 2026. He alleged that more than 10 mobile police vehicles had been deployed to the venue to prevent the gathering.
The movement describes itself as a non-partisan platform established to enlighten the public and mobilise Nigerians to vote out President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 general elections.
It said its campaign was motivated by the administration’s economic policies, which it blamed for the hardship faced by citizens.
In the video, Hikima, who wore a shirt and fez cap bearing the inscription ‘Tinubu Must Go’, accused the police of violating the group’s rights by preventing its members from accessing a private event centre they had paid to use.
“Today, the 11th of October 2026, we gathered here in Kano State in order to exercise our fundamental human rights and to associate freely in order to exchange ideas and educate ourselves on the need to send away the administration of Bola Ahmed Tinubu in Nigeria,” he said.
Hikima alleged that the deployment of the police was intended to frustrate the meeting and prevent the group from expressing its political views.
“They have been stationed here in order to prevent us from accessing the private venue which we paid for; we are to gather here to exercise our civic rights,” he said.
He added that the police action reinforced the movement’s position that Tinubu should be voted out of office in 2027.
The lawyer also disclosed that he had spoken with the Kano State Commissioner of Police, Ibrahim Bakori, who reportedly told him that the police should have been informed about the meeting.
According to Hikima, he assured the commissioner that the gathering would be peaceful and held within an enclosed venue.
He maintained that the group did not require police permission to hold the meeting, citing constitutional provisions on freedom of expression, association and personal liberty.
“We are not criminals, we are not thugs, we are not hooligans and we have not committed any offence. And there is nothing wrong with what we are doing right now,” he said.
Hikima cited Sections 39, 40 and 35 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, in arguing that members of the movement had the right to express their opinions, associate freely and exercise their personal liberty.
He further alleged that some officers had indicated that they had no objection to the meeting but did not want members to wear clothing bearing the ‘Tinubu Must Go’ inscription.
Rejecting the alleged restriction, Hikima insisted that the group had the right to display its political message, describing it as an expression of political opinion rather than an offence.
He also referenced a Court of Appeal decision in arguing that citizens did not need to obtain police permission before holding rallies.
Hikima vowed that the movement would continue its activities despite the reported blockade, threatening to organise protests and demonstrations in the future.
“Next time, we are going to protest; next time we are going to demonstrate; next time we are going to hit the ground,” he said.
