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Omoyele Sowore, #RevolutionNow promoter and social critic has claimed that political leaders, including President Bola Tinubu and his appointees, are the ones pushing Nigerians to the brink of rioting.
The former African Action Congress (AAC) presidential flag-bearer said this regarding the planned nationwide protest slated for August 5, 2024.
Some Nigerians on social media have continued to mobilise for the mass demonstration aimed at expressing their displeasure over the state of the economy.
Nigerians are currently going through an excruciating time due to the reforms embarked upon by the Tinubu administration.
The current government has, among others, removed subsidies on petrol and floated the naira, resulting in increasing food price hikes and high cost of living.
The protest planners are making demands, which include a swift turnaround of the economy, a reduction in the cost of governance, and an end to corrupt practices.
Presidency accuses Obi of inciting protest
However, the Presidency recently claimed that the proposed protest is being planned and promoted by supporters of the Labour Party presidential candidate in the 2023 election, Peter Obi.
This is according to Tinubu's Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, who was emphatic that Obi’s supporters were planning to stage nationwide protests, saying the former Governor would be held responsible for whatever crisis emanated from the action.
“The protest planners are also the same people who were instigated by IPOB leader Nnamdi Kanu to launch the destructive ENDSARS protest in Nigeria in October 2020,” Onanuga wrote on his official X account on Saturday, July 20, 2024.
“They are the people spreading the hashtags ‘EndBadGovernance,’ ‘Tinubu Must Go,’ and ‘Revolution2024.’ They are not democrats but anarchists.
“They are attempting to call out our people via propaganda because their Messiah, Peter Obi, failed to win the Presidency in the 2023 election.
“As bad losers, they don’t have the patience to wait for another election in 2027; they would rather destabilise Nigeria by staging a civilian coup against President Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” he said.
Sowore says Tinubu, INEC boss, and others are those inciting Nigerians
Taking to his X account on Sunday in what appears like a vague reference to Onanuga's remarks, Sowore mentioned Tinubu, Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas as part of the people pushing Nigerians to revolt.
He also listed the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Mahmood Yakubu and Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Yemi Cardoso, among others as equally culpable.
"This is the list of those inciting the public to riot, they are as follows:
"1. Ahmed Bola Tinubu: For engaging in massive corruption, election rigging, and destroying the middle and lower class by terrible economic policy decisions since coming to power on May 29th 2023.
"2. Senator Akpabio and House of Reps Speaker for leading the most useless Senate and HOR.
"3. Yemi Cardoso- CBN Gov/ for destroying the value of the Naira.
"4. IG of Police, Egbetokun: for reducing the police to a corrupt and irredeemable national institution.
"5. Chairman of EFCC: For letting corruption flourish by ignoring real financial criminals while going after inconsequential low-level crooks.
"6. GMD of NNPC: for stealing over $3.8 billion through subsidy scam.
"7. The Chief of the Nigeria Army: For conniving with bandits and terrorists through outright sabotage of national security.
"8. The Chief of the Nigerian Navy for conniving with crude oil thieves to deny Nigerians of crude sales and revenue.
"9. The Comptroller General of Customs for conniving with cross-border criminals to deny Nigeria billions of dollars in excise and duties.
"10. The judges who receive bribes to pervert the course of justice across our courtrooms.
"11. Chairman, @inecnigeria for organizing the unconscionable elections that brought all these criminals into power," he wrote.