The Labour Party has dismissed allegations by the Presidency that its presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and his supporters are behind a planned nationwide anti-government protest set for August 1.
The Presidency had described calls for protests under the hashtags #TinubuMustGo and #Revolution2024 as acts of treason. Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, accused Obi and his supporters of promoting these hashtags, labeling them “anarchists” rather than democrats.
Onanuga stated that the hashtags implied a call for high treason, aiming to end an elected government, and proposed a Save-Nigeria-Rally from August 1-15, 2024, in response to the protests against economic hardships. He claimed the protest organizers were also behind the violent #EndSARS protests of October 2020, which were allegedly infiltrated by IPOB elements.
In a statement, Onanuga mentioned various individuals involved in the protest organization, including Babatunde Gbadamosi and others operating anonymous social media accounts. He urged Nigerians to consider the government’s efforts to alleviate economic hardship before joining the protests.
However, the Labour Party’s National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh, refuted these claims, stating that neither the party nor Obi was involved in the planned protests. Ifoh emphasized that the Labour Party is peaceful and urged caution against incendiary statements that could escalate tensions.
Yunusa Tanko, Obi’s campaign spokesman, also rejected Onanuga’s claims, stressing that the protests are a reaction to widespread economic hardship and not orchestrated by Obi or the Labour Party.
Meanwhile, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) warned that organizing a protest to push for a change of government constitutes treason. APC’s National Publicity Director, Bala Ibrahim, highlighted that while peaceful protest is legitimate, it must not disrupt national order.
The New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) challenged the Presidency to provide evidence supporting its claims of opposition involvement in the protests. NNPP’s National Publicity Secretary, Ladipo Johnson, asserted that citizens have the right to protest peacefully.
Civil society organizations (CSOs) have defended the planned protests, emphasizing citizens’ rights to express dissatisfaction with the government. They called on the government to address the issues raised by the protesters rather than issuing threats.
Punch