The North Central Forum of the All Progressives Congress has warned against the planned nationwide protests against the administration of President Bola Tinubu.
During a press briefing in Jos, Plateau State, the forum’s Chairman, Saleh Mandung Zazzaga, said that such protests could obstruct national progress.
Zazzaga suggested that the motives behind the protests seem to stem from selfish interests rather than genuine concerns for national development. He emphasized that President Tinubu’s administration is making significant efforts to steer the country towards growth and stability, and these protests could serve as unnecessary distractions.
He also appealed to potential protesters to consider the existing security challenges in the North Central region and other parts of the North, which are already under strain. He stressed that any form of unrest could worsen the situation, detracting from the government’s efforts to address these issues.
The APC leader called for unity and support for the government’s initiatives, advocating for constructive dialogue as a more effective approach than disruptive protests. He warned that staging protests in the already volatile North Central region could pose additional risks to security.
He said, “Therefore, any protest in the region can be hijacked by hoodlums to cause mayhem and threaten the lives and properties of law-abiding citizens.
“The issue of kidnappings, banditry and other criminal activities the region has been going through over the years is already overwhelming on the region, and it cannot afford to have another restiveness added to it.
“Besides, protests in parts of the region and the North often take an ethno-religious dimension, which also culminated in killings of one another between Christians and Muslims.
“An example of such a protest which often turns violent and takes an ethno-religious crisis, is that of the #EndSARS protest across the country, which took such dimension in Jos, the Plateau State capital, and we have to do a lot to tame it.
“I, alongside other eminent persons in Jos, went around calming the people down to stop the violence, and we ensured that Christians were protected in Muslim areas, and vice versa, and thereafter handed those protected from harm over to the police to unite them with their families safely.
“So, I call on all our members across the region to mobilise vigorously and campaign against any form of protest in the region, and I also urge the governors, religious leaders, traditional rulers and other eminent personalities and opinion leaders in the North Central region to call all their wards to order and advise them against participating in any form of protest due to the peculiar situation of our region.”
