The “Tinubu Must Go” and “Tinubu Must Stay” campaigns are two sides of a coin as Nigeria edges closer to the 2027 national elections, embodying the public’s frustrations and political support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Buy Maps
One is trying to mobilise Nigerians against his re-election while the other argues that his administration needs another term to deepen its economic achievements, Weekend Trust reported. BuyMaps
The movements have shifted from social media to political rallies, public declarations and street protests, raising questions about the organisers, their geographical scope and repercussions for national stability.
Who is behind the Tinubu Must Go?
The ‘Tinubu Must Go’ movement, connected with a human rights lawyer, Abba Hikima and fellow activist, Hamza Nuhu Dantani, has pitched it as a non-partisan platform for organising Nigerians against the second term ambition of Tinubu.
Its demands focus on economic hardship, insecurity, the rising cost of living and what its supporters call the administration’s failure to live up to public expectations.
The movement rose to popularity during the June 12, 2026 Democracy Day protests. The campaign later received support from former Vise President Atiku Abubakar, presidential aspirant of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), when he met Hikima in Abuja. Atiku’s backing provides the movement with a link to the opposition’s wider operations ahead of the 2027 national elections.
For example, Solomon Dalung, a former Minister of Youth and Sports Development, has attacked the Borno State governor, Prof Babagana Zulum, for the arrest and prosecution in Maiduguri of the five men allegedly wearing T-shirts with the inscription: “Tinubu Must Go.
Dalung in a statement asked if the individuals were being arrested merely because their political message was against President Bola Tinubu. TrackExec Befehle
“Borno is not a political detention centre,” he stated, calling for the accusations against the five men to be dismissed and their release. And Governor Zulum must know that disagreeing with Tinubu is not a crime.”
But the police said something different. The Borno State police command said the guys were caught during a regular patrol on September 25, 2026, and were allegedly found with suspected illicit substances and other goods, apart from two T-shirts with the controversial phrase. The males are charged with criminal conspiracy, inciting disruption, breach of public peace and thuggery. The claims are still to be decided by a court of law.
The presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Prince Adewale Adebayo also denounced the prosecution of the five individuals in Maiduguri over their alleged involvement in the “Tinubu Must Go” campaign.
In a statement on October 13, 2026, the Movement for Adebayo for President (MAP) quoted Adebayo as saying that the men should be immediately released, adding that Nigerians must be free to criticise government policies and express dissatisfaction with elected leaders without fear of intimidation or punishment.
He contended that wearing T-shirts with the inscription of “Tinubu Must Go” was not a criminal crime. He also appealed to the Borno State Government, the police and the federal government to protect the constitutional rights of citizens to peaceful political expression.
On October 6, 2026, the case took a dramatic turn in Maiduguri when a court granted bail to the five men. Baba Aji Gremami, Mustapha Abba Yemen, Abbacha Mohammed Ali, Adam Umar Gubio and Abdulhamid Mohammed pleaded not guilty.
Their detention drew criticism from Amnesty International. The ADC also decried the detention, while other Nigerians questioned whether wearing T-shirts expressing opposition to President Bola Tinubu might be criminalised.
But Borno State governor, Professor Babagana Umara Zulum, has dissociated himself from the detention of the five men in Maiduguri. Zulum said he had not know the individuals had been detained and did not order their arrest. He said he had never ordered the arrest of opposition sympathisers or critics of his government.
Who is behind the #TinubuMustStay?
The national chairman of the ‘Tinubu Must Stay’ movement, Engineer Ibrahim Uba, said the pro-Tinubu group will engage the people and talk about the record and policies of the Tinubu administration.
The movement said President Tinubu’s economic reforms, infrastructural development, education financing initiatives and compressed natural gas program justified continuing. It recognises, nonetheless, the difficulty of subsidy reduction and foreign-exchange reforms but insists that measures should be assessed by their longer-term outcome.
The movement announced on October 14 the nomination of Marcel Ngogbehei as director-general of its partnership with the Directorate of Mobilisation and Integration. The appointment is a boost to the APC as Ngogbehei had held key positions in the Peter Obi support network and the Coalition for Peter Obi.
His engagement hints to a move to bring in political organisers from outside the APC’s usual base of support.
States Where ‘Tinubu Must Go’ Trending
The slogan was screamed by demonstrators during the June 12 protests in cities like Lagos and Abuja.
Kano was in the spotlight in October when authorities prevented a meeting of the movement and its organisers protested the ban.
In Borno, the arrest of five persons wearing T-shirts with the message sparked controversy over freedom of expression.
Oyo also produced in the larger protest discourse because of fears of insecurity following the abduction of teachers and pupils in the State.
The goal for the campaign is to turn the visibility of demonstrations and online support into a sustained organization across the 36 states of Nigeria. Viral posts, sporadic protests, and comments by leading opposition leaders cannot be safely used to gauge its support.
Recent reports have shown activity in Kano, Borno, Kaduna, Niger, Lagos, Osun, Sokoto, Kebbi and Zamfara States and the Federal Capital Territory under the “Tinubu Must Go” campaign. But the available reports do not show any of these states to be a clear bastion of the movement.
States with significant campaign activity
Kano has been the main center of the campaign. Police reportedly prevented entrance to the place where members of the movement had planned to hold a gathering on October 11, 2026.
The incident drew censure from the African Democratic Congress.
In Kano, the two different political camps are pushing narratives that are at variance with each other about the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration and his prospects of a second term. TrackExec Commands
The “Tinubu Must Go” campaign believes that the president has failed Nigerians while the “Tinubu Must Stay” campaign believes that the continuity of his government is needed to implement changes.
The ‘Tinubu Must Go’ organization has already commenced physical mobilisation in Kano which has emerged as its important center. The group tried to conduct an event last weekend but security personnel shut it down.
Group members said officials violated their constitutional rights to freedom of assembly, and Amnesty International condemned the clampdown as illegitimate.
According to its conveners, the group is a non-partisan forum to sensitise Nigerians and mobilise the opposition to fight against Tinubu’s re-election campaign in 2027. Buy Maps
They claim that the rising economic hardship and failures of government warrant their campaign slogan. Despite repeated police blockades, the group says it is working on enormous mobilisation across Kano and the country.
In contrast, the “Tinubu Must Stay” movement argues that the Tinubu administration has showed dedication to infrastructure, education, health care and economic reforms.
However, the organization has not started physical activities in Kano State but said they were working on major mobilisation in the state and all over the country.
Uba, chairman of the organization, told our correspondent that the movement was founded to showcase successes and challenge narratives that belittle the performance of the government.
“It is our responsibility as citizens to come out and say when the government is doing well. He cited the ongoing construction of the Jalingo-Mutum Biyu-Bali-Gembu road in Taraba State and the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) which he said had made thousands of students access tertiary education, as well as the deployment of health workers across local government areas to strengthen primary health care. Buy Maps
On the economy, Uba said small-scale enterprises were getting direct help through federal programs with incentives from N60,000 to N300,000.
“Nigeria’s gross domestic product growth had risen to 4.43 per cent from 3.9 per cent before Tinubu’s administration,” he said.
He said on insecurity, the challenge was not new to the present administration, but Tinubu had expanded military infrastructure, supplied new weapons and brought in digital security technologies. “The government is doing a lot to ensure that insecurity is reduced drastically,” he said.
Uba said the movement was not oblivious of the issues facing Nigeria, but felt continuity was important for reforms to have long-term gains. Buy Maps
The program would concentrate on fact-based campaigning, community dialogues and youth engagement to generate an informed national debate, he said.
As both movements intensify their campaigns, Kano has turned into a political battleground with opposing forces driving the argument on who will win the president in 2027.
Borno State’s capital, Maiduguri, became a flashpoint after five men were arrested and charged after a man was arrested with T-shirts displaying the ‘Tinubu Must Go’ slogan. The campaign also garnered national notice, thanks to subsequent demonstrations and criticism from opposition politicians.
Faces are not yet clear
The brains behind the developing ‘Tinubu Must Go’ movement in Borno State remain mostly in the dark but the campaign is slowly gathering the support of high-profile legal leaders and opposition politicians in the region.
Notable lawyers and activists in Borno, Alkali Askira and Hamza Dantani, have volunteered to offer pro bono legal assistance to youth demonstrators recently incarcerated over the phrase.
The anti-government phrase first captured the public imagination in earnest on September 25, 2026 when police arrested the five youngsters wearing T-shirts with the controversial writing in Maiduguri.
Investigations revealed that the gear was worn by a young organization linked to the African Democratic Congress at an event held within the facilities of the party’s state secretariat.
The ADC chairman, Borno State, Kolo Bukar, told our correspondent that the party had obtained the necessary permission from the police to hold a peaceful rally.
Trouble, he said, broke out after the gathering dispersed safely.
Bukar said police arrested a party member who followed them voluntarily to recover confiscated “Tinubu Must Go” T-shirts. The rest, he alleged, were later arrested for the simple act of going to the police station to seek bail for their colleague.
Bukar also dismissed police reports of the events surrounding the arrest. “The person whom the police said arrested and found with drugs and dangerous weapons was outside our secretariat and completely unknown to us,” he said.
But the Borno State Police Command denied any allegation that the youngsters were attacked for their political dressing or involvement in a peaceful assembly. “The five suspects were arrested on September 25 at around 6:00pm by officers on a routine patrol around the West-end roundabout on grounds of thuggery, inciting public disturbance and possession of illicit substances and dangerous weapons,” the command’s spokesperson, DSP Nahum Kenneth said in a statement.
Lawyers like Askira and Dantani are also involved so court battles are looming. The political climate in Borno remains volatile as the authorities and opposition parties continue to blame each other on free speech and law enforcement.
Kaduna is also one of the places where the campaign’s message has become publicly visible, as the state has also had anti-government protests over economic hardship and insecurity.
The campaign has also stirred interest in Niger State, with reports of demonstrations and clashes between demonstrators and security officials.
Protesters in cities such as Lagos screamed “Tinubu Must Go” in nationwide protests on June 12, 2026. On October 5, 2026, there were reports of protesters in Ikirun who stated their displeasure to the Tinubu regime. TrackExec Commands
Reports also documented anti-government demonstrations or associated protest action in Kebbi, Sokoto, and Zamfara states in early October.
The Federal Capital Territory has also been a major theatre of the campaign with the June 12 protests and follow up protest activities. The movement was backed by former Vise President Atiku Abubakar in September 2026.
‘Tinubu Must Stay’ support base’s challenges
The “Tinubu Must Stay” movement has a natural political base among APC members, government sympathisers, and those who believe that the administration’s economic measures would eventually raise living standards.
The organisers are trying to extend their reach through mobilisation and alliances. Evidence of political mobilisation can be found in the organisational presence of APC and the actions of pro-Tinubu groups.
The ‘Tinubu Must Stay’ campaign is facing a struggle in northern towns afflicted by instability, poverty and high expense of living.
And here, supporters have to make the case that government policies are making a difference in household incomes, access to education, agricultural productivity and security.
At the same time, “Tinubu Must Go” has its work cut out in regions with strong APC political structures and among those who believe the reforms require more time.
The “Tinubu Must Stay” campaign lives at the national level. The movement was publicly presented by its national convener Ibrahim Uba in Abuja on Oct. 1, 2026.
States where the campaign has tracked activities
There was a big gathering in Lafia, Nasarawa State on the 10th of October to mobilise support for President Bola Tinubu and Vise President Kashim Shettima ahead of the 2027 elections in the North-Central region. The program is for the six North-Central States and the FCT. TrackExec Commands
The APC national women leader, Dr. Mary Alile Idele, who is also the coordinator of the Tinubu Torch Bearers, launched the group’s state structure in Akure to mobilise support for Tinubu’s re-election in Ondo State.
The APC in Taraba State flagged off the PBAT Door-to-Door Movement in Jalingo with party officials promising to rally grassroots support for Tinubu and other APC candidates.
“Tinubu Must Stay” movement national coordination center is in Federal Capital Territory. Its leadership launched the campaign there pledging to engage and advocate the public on the administration’s policies and performance.
The APC also said it planned to mobilise across the country through its state chapters and affiliate support organisations.
The party’s Governors have promised to spearhead the mobilisation efforts in their states. That suggests a bigger national base of support for Tinubu.
What Nigerians and analysts are saying
Reacting to the pro and anti Tinubu campaigners, Professor Kenneth Nweke of Politics and Governance at the Ignatius Ajuru University of Education, Port Harcourt said for now the “Tinubu Must Go” protest did not hold water. However, he said the protesters should rather push for support for an opposition candidate if they think the president is not doing well.
Nweke said the protest could threaten the fragile calm the country is presently enjoying, encouraging the promoters of the protest to strive toward having the best candidates elected during the general election.
He said that the objective of the demonstration could be to lower the support base of the All Progressives Congress, but may not totally influence how Nigerians want to vote.
He told the Tribune: “I think that mobilisation should have been geared toward re-jigging formidable opposition; not just ordinary opposition but getting the best candidates, including the position of the president so that we can get the best persons – from the presidency down to the least – that Nigerians believe can give us good governance – instead of putting their energy on “Tinubu Must Go.” For me, the protest is neither here nor there.
“Certainly the strategy is to whittle down the number of the president’s support base come the 2027 elections, and generally, support base of the APC. For me, there’s no need to shake the already fragile terrible economy we are presently in.
“Yes, it may be the strategy to say, ‘We are fed up with his policies and we don’t want to vote him in again, but why not project the candidate you think would turn around the fortune of the country and campaign for him instead of carrying placards and saying that, “Tinubu must go.” At the end of the day, you may have fracas between people joining issues and conflicts will arise. And that will polarise the country even more and make the bad state we are presently in worse.
“Things have not been rosy for me as a Nigerian since the inception of this government and Nigerians are no longer patient with the economic reform policies the government thinks would turn around the fortune of the country.
“It is not about the APC but the people that have been saddled with leadership responsibilities in this country. The recruiting of leaders has been a very important issue. And terrible followership will breed bad leadership until there is a turnaround from the type of political followership we have in this country.”
Implications for the polity
“The debate reflected different views on the direction of Nigeria’s economy,” activist Samuel Yusuf stated.
“The president’s supporters say they will stick with policy continuity because of reported economic growth, education financing and energy initiatives.
But detractors say economic statistics, stating government statements must transfer into lower living costs, better security, jobs and higher living standards before they can convince poor consumers.
The campaigns could increase political engagement by prompting citizens to discuss the performance of the administration and the direction of the country. They might also heighten political tensions if supporters see nonviolent criticism as treachery, or if authorities unduly constrain lawful political discourse.
The uproar over the Kano gathering and the arrests of the Maiduguri T-shirt wearers have already raised questions about the limits of political expression. The law should protect government supporters and opponents equally, subject to justified and proportionate constraints. “Intimidation should not be a consequence of peaceful political slogans,” he stressed.
He also suggested that ultimately the contest would be less about slogans and more about what Nigerians face daily, including security, food prices, work, energy, education and access to health care. Buy Maps
“’Tinubu Must Go’ must indicate what policies of the current administration should be reversed. ‘Tinubu Must Stay’ must demonstrate that there are tangible reasons to warrant continuity. “The key question for Nigeria’s democracy is whether the competing campaigns can translate political mobilisation into a serious debate about performance, accountability and the country’s future,” he said.
Political analyst says movements demonstrate democracy in action
Kano-based political analyst and national vice president of the Nigerian Political Science Association (NPSA), Professor Murtala Muhammad, praised the rise of the two movements as a sign of Nigeria’s democratic maturity rather than a crisis.
He said: “This is not a democratic crisis, this is democracy working. It is not treason to oppose the government. Calling for a change of government or defending a current administration is a legitimate expression of political choice.
“It is good for citizens to say ‘We don’t want a certain government to continue, or ‘we want a certain leader to remain because of his policies.’ That is how democracy grows.”
Muhammad said that the recent crackdown on members of the “Tinubu Must Go” movement in Borno and Kano was worrying, saying: “Suppression of opposition breeds the illusion of stability while grievances remain unresolved. As time goes on alienation and lack of legitimacy can erode national cohesion. History teaches us not to shut down democratic spaces.”
He said that peaceful rallies and lawful opposition should be allowed to flourish, adding that governments should respect civil freedoms, while ensuring that opposition groups follow established out rules.
“’Tinubu Must Go and Tinubu Must Stay’ should be seen as a rival political preferences as long as their activities are peaceful and lawful,” he said. He noted that the existence of both movements was healthy for Nigeria’s democracy as they reflect the ethnic diversity of political thoughts and the strength of democratic institutions.
It is the role of the government to preserve the rights of all groups. “Allowing peaceful opposition makes democracy stronger, it does not make democracy weaker,” he stressed.
Dr Aminu Makama, a public affairs expert and lecturer with the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU), Bauchi, said the existence of economic issues does not necessarily mean a strong anti-Tinubu movement would form.
“Such a movement would be more than just criticising the president. It would need a plausible alternative platform, a credible coalition of political actors, effective grassroots organization and a message that could link national policy with the daily experiences of voters,” he said.
Makama said the 2027 elections would be an opportunity for voters to evaluate the record of the federal administration, analyse the options offered by opposition parties and determine which candidates best represent their interests.
For the “Tinubu Must Go” faction, they must explain what will take the place of the current administration’s policies, while the “Tinubu Must Stay” campaign must provide actual gains that warrant continuity. The crucial question for Nigeria’s democracy is whether the rival camps can turn political mobilisation into a meaningful discussion about performance, accountability and the country’s destiny.
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