President Bola Tinubu’s administration has accused Mr Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour in the last election and his supporters of plotting the nationwide protest.
Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Mr Bayo Onanuga said the protesters are the same individuals who masterminded the ENDSARS protest in 2020 and were now using hashtags like “EndBadGovernance” and “Tinubu Must Go” to spread propaganda.
The flippant spokesman of the president further claimed that the protesters were not democrats but anarchists seeking to overthrow the elected government of President Bola Tinubu.
He warned that their actions could lead to high treason and urged security operatives to interrogate the protest planners.
“Peter Obi’s supporters are the people planning mayhem in Nigeria: Obi should be held responsible for anarchy,” Mr Onanuga wrote. “Don’t be fooled: the malcontents planning to stage nationwide protests are supporters of Peter Obi, the failed presidential candidate of the Labour Party. And he should be held responsible for whatever crisis emanates from the action.”
Mr Onanuga further said “If they understand the meaning of their hashtags, they will realise they are clarion calls for treason. Wanting to end an elected government is high treason. Wanting revolution is a call for a coup d’état, which is also high treason. President Tinubu has a four-year mandate to run his agenda. Those calling for protest should wait till 2027 to either re-elect him or elect their messiah, Mr Peter Obi
“The federal government distributed trucks of rice to states to cushion effects of hunger and raised minimum wage to N70,000 from N30,000
“If they understand the meaning of their hashtags, they will realise they are clarion calls for treason. Wanting to end an elected government is high treason. Wanting revolution is a call for a coup d’etat, which is also high treason.
“Security agents should, by now, begin to interrogate these agents of destabilisation. There is no country in the world where people are not going through some economic challenges and where the cost of living is not a major issue. No country is immune from economic turbulence at the moment. Civilised and democratic people wait for another election to make leadership changes. They don’t trigger mayhem in their countries by staging protests, the end of which nobody can predict.
“Nigerian citizens must consider the government’s attitude and concern about the cost of living crisis when deciding whether to join the protests by the Labour Party and IPOB supporters.
“The Tinubu government has not been found wanting in this regard. The minimum wage has been increased by more than 100 percent. Loans are being disbursed to students in tertiary schools. A credit corporation has been launched to promote consumption credit. Palliatives, including the latest distribution of 740 trucks of rice to the 36 states and Abuja, are being rolled out. Businesses, such as pharmaceuticals, are being assisted. The Federal and state governments are investing heavily in agriculture to produce more food.
“The economy is improving, inflation is slowing, the national debt has been reduced in dollar terms, and the FIRS has increased revenue generation to record levels. Investors are coming back to our country. Our stock market is the best in the world, with a 33 percent return on investment.
“President Tinubu has a four-year mandate to run his agenda. Those calling for protest should wait till 2027 to either re-elect him or elect their Messiah, Mr Peter Obi.”