The planned protests, set to commence on August 1 and conclude on August 10, aim to highlight issues of poor governance, hunger, hardship, worsening poverty, and the economic crisis in Nigeria. However, the chairmen of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have criticized these protests, arguing they are intended to destabilize President Bola Tinubu’s government.
Alphonsus Ogar Eba (esq), APC chairman of the Cross River State chapter and Secretary of the APC States Chairmen Forum, voiced this stance on Monday at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja. Surrounded by his colleagues, Eba asserted that the party would not stand by and allow “undemocratic forces” to overthrow Tinubu’s administration under the guise of protest. He warned that any violent demonstrations would be countered, with the party mobilizing all its structures from the ward to the national level from July 29 to August 11, 2024, to “re-echo the laudable projects and the programs of President Tinubu.”
Eba stated, “As the ruling party, we are prepared to meet every contestant in 2027, but we will not fold our arms and allow undemocratic forces to topple the government we worked so hard to elect into office. That would be a disservice to the good people of Nigeria who freely gave us this mandate. We call on all patriotic Nigerians to resist any attempt by anyone or any group to intimidate them into unorganized protests likely to endanger the peace we currently enjoy as a nation. We urge patriots to join forces with security agencies to report any criminal elements attempting to incite violence.”
From July 29 to August 11, 2024, all party structures, including political wards, local government areas, and state capitals, will engage in peaceful rallies to emphasize the positive projects and programs of President Tinubu. These rallies aim to protect and defend democracy against any attacks by criminal elements seeking to incite violence.
Eba called on party members and concerned Nigerians from other political parties to stand firm in protecting democracy. He emphasized that the contemplated violent protest by the faceless group, as stated in their charter of demands, would undermine democratic ideals, which is unacceptable and must be resisted in a civil manner. He stressed the importance of educating innocent and peace-loving Nigerians about the plans of failed politicians who seek power through illegitimate means by inciting violent protests.
“Protest is a constitutional right when done lawfully. However, security reports have shown that it is counterproductive to embark on this protest at this time as there are sinister arrangements by some unpatriotic persons to hijack the protest to unleash violence and criminality reminiscent of the 2020 EndSARS protest and the recent events in Kenya. This will worsen our already challenging socio-economic situation, which is why we appeal to all Nigerians to avoid participating in these protests,” Eba concluded.
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