Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno State has denied ordering the arrest of protesters associated with the “Tinubu Must Go” slogan in the state.
This was just as he clarified that his warning was directed at criminals and individuals whose activities threaten peace and stability in Borno.
The governor’s clarification followed a statement by the African Democratic Congress Presidential Campaign Council, which demanded an explanation over a viral video in which Zulum was allegedly heard ordering the arrest and detention of anyone expressing the “Tinubu Must Go” slogan.
Politics Nigeria reports that the ADC campaign council had said the reported directive was concerning, particularly because the governor had previously denied ordering the arrest of persons wearing “Tinubu Must Go” T-shirts in the state.
In a statement signed by its Director of Strategic Communication, Phrank Shaibu, the council challenged Zulum to explain the contents of the video and reconcile them with his earlier denial.
But responding on Sunday night, Zulum’s spokesman, Dauda Iliya, dismissed the ADC’s claims as “unprofessional”, accusing the campaign council of misrepresenting the governor’s remarks.
Iliya said the governor never referred to the ADC, the “Tinubu Must Go” group or any opposition political organisation during the media engagement.
He faulted the campaign council for relying on what he described as an “unprofessionally written news report” to accuse the governor of threatening opposition politicians with arrest.
According to him, Zulum made the remarks during a media chat with journalists in Maiduguri while addressing a range of issues, including a recent increase in social vices and criminal activities considered threats to the peace and stability of Borno.
The spokesman said the governor was referring to young men who move around wearing shirts emblazoned with knives and clubs, portraying violence.
He explained that Borno had experienced a rise in gangsterism, kidnapping of underage girls, illegal abortions, phone snatching and other social vices following the Boko Haram insurgency.
Iliya said the state government consequently established an Anti-Vices security outfit to tackle the growing criminal activities.
He added that the outfit’s operations had made Maiduguri and its environs safer, with a sharp decline in social vices and criminal activity since its establishment.
The governor’s aide accused some media organisations of extracting part of Zulum’s remarks to create a narrative that portrayed the administration as heavy-handed.
He maintained that the governor’s comments were focused exclusively on security, peace and order rather than political opposition.
“Governor Zulum never mentioned the #TinubuMustGo group, ADC, or any opposition group; he spoke only about security, peace, and order,” Iliya said.
He further argued that the ADC’s response to the governor’s remarks amounted to what he described as “self-indictment”, saying the party appeared to be taking responsibility for crimes allegedly committed by groups operating across the state.
Iliya stressed that the Zulum administration would not allow Borno’s hard-earned peace to be disrupted, arguing that political parties could only campaign and operate effectively in an environment of order and stability.
“As a responsible government, Prof. Zulum’s administration will not allow the state’s hard-earned peace to be truncated; for without order and stability, no party can campaign for any election,” he said.
The spokesman urged political actors and critics to exercise restraint when commenting on security-related matters in Borno, given the state’s experience with more than a decade of insurgency.
He said political considerations should not overshadow efforts to preserve the peace and stability recently achieved in the state.
“Even in campaign seasons, there ought to be restraint and responsibility. Considering where Borno has come from, the least one would expect from the ADC is to join the call to ensure that nothing tampers with the recent peace and stability achieved under the administration of Gov. Zulum,” Iliya added.
He described the present period as a particularly inappropriate time to politicise issues of peace and security in Borno.
