Borno State Governor, Prof. Babagana Umara Zulum, has denied ordering the arrest of the “Tinubu Must Go”, five, but fall short of instituting a probe into the matter.
Mr Zulum, issued the denial in Maiduguri on Friday, following reports linking him to the arrest of five persons detained by the police in the state for wearing “Tinubu Must Go” T-shirts.
While the action was condemned by many, political stakeholders argued that the arrest undermines election campaign declared by the Independent Electoral Commission, INEC, ahead of 2027 general elections.
“The arrest has far reaching political implications because of the timing. It is not about the governor but the negative message it sending a accross, which can limit the participation of all stakeholders in the electoral process” Abdulkadir Umar, a political scientist told Daily Intel Newspaper.
According to him, as the state governor, where the incident took place, it leaves a moral and constitutional burden on him to get to the root of the matter and ensure that whoever issued the arrest order was identified, given the widespread outrage and negative political inclination it has on his administration.
But instead, the governor stopped short of distancing his administration from the allegations, saying his administration has no hands on it.
The governor said his administration was focused on restoring peace and rebuilding Borno State after years of Boko Haram insurgency, rather than arresting political opponents.
According to him, he had repeatedly exposed himself to danger to protect residents of the state, including members of opposition parties, and ensure they lived in peace.
Zulum said only “desperate politicians” would order the arrest of opposition supporters, stressing that he was not one of them.
He also questioned why he would order the arrest of anyone on political grounds, arguing that Borno had remained an All Progressives Congress, APC, stronghold for more than a decade.
The governor said there was no reason for his administration to fear opposition parties winning elective positions in the state.
He said Borno had remained an APC state since the party came to power, adding that his priority was to restore the state and improve the living conditions of its people.
Zulum said his administration had invested heavily in restoring peace, resettling internally displaced persons, reconstructing communities destroyed by insurgency and providing schools, hospitals and other public infrastructure.
He said the progress recorded in the state was the result of his administration’s commitment to rebuilding Borno after years of conflict.
The governor further said it was common for some people to make what he described as false accusations against political leaders as elections approached, in an attempt to attract political attention.
“Where were they when we were struggling to see that we had restored peace, resettled IDPs, reconstructed destroyed communities and established schools and hospitals?” he asked.
Zulum said some of those currently criticising his administration had previously praised its efforts but had begun portraying the government negatively as the 2027 elections approached.
He said his reward for the sacrifices and resources invested in rebuilding Borno was from God, adding that criticism would not deter him from continuing to work for the state until the end of his tenure.
