Peter Obi: Presidency, LP Trade Words Over Planned Hardship Protest

The Presidency and the Labour Party have exchanged sharp words over a planned nationwide protest dubbed ‘EndBadGovernance,’ scheduled for August.

The protest, which is gaining significant traction on social media, aims to draw attention to the economic hardships facing Nigerians, spurred by recent government policies.

Nigerians have been grappling with skyrocketing prices of food and basic commodities, attributed to the government’s twin policies of petrol subsidy removal and the unification of forex windows.

These policies have triggered one of the worst inflationary and economic crises the country has seen in recent times.

In response to the planned protests, the Federal Government, through the National Orientation Agency (NOA), the Nigeria Police Force, and the House of Representatives, has issued stern warnings against participating in the demonstration.

Presidential spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, on Saturday accused the Labour Party and its presidential candidate, Peter Obi, of orchestrating the protest to highlight the economic challenges under President Bola Tinubu’s administration.

The Labour Party, however, has denied the accusations, stating that the planned protest is a spontaneous reaction by Nigerians to the unbearable economic situation.

The party argues that the government should focus on addressing the root causes of the hardship rather than clamping down on citizens’ rights to peaceful assembly and protest.

The call for the ‘EndBadGovernance’ protest has been widely shared on social media platforms, with many Nigerians expressing their frustration over the worsening economic conditions.

While the Labour Party insists that the protest is a legitimate expression of the people’s dissatisfaction, the government maintains that it could lead to public disorder and has urged citizens to seek dialogue instead.

“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,” Onanuga alleged in an X post on Saturday.

He warned that the protest could turn out like the ENDSARS demonstration by youths against police brutality which turned destructive after it was hijacked by unscrupulous elements in 2020.

The presidential aide insisted that the economy has been improving, and inflation slowing. “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,” he added.

Onanuga urged security agents to “interrogate these agents of destabilisation”.

In a statement, a spokesman for the Labour Party, Obiora Ifoh, denied Onanuga’s claim. Ifoh said that “there is no truth in that and the tweet is just the author’s figment of his imagination”.

“Labour Party is known for being a very peaceful party and it has on several occasions asked its followers to follow peace at all times. We are not known as a lawless group as was evident in the aftermath of the last general election.

“It is therefore delusional for anyone to link our supporters to the planned protest. Labour Party, Peter Obi and our supporters are not planning any protests.”

The LP spokesman said peaceful protests all over the world are initiated and executed by the people and not by the opposition.

“It is therefore puerile for the government or anyone for that matter to begin to look for who to blame for the bad governance that is being witnessed in Nigeria today.

“Nigeria can still get it right if the right policies are initiated. We also advise that some aides of the presidency must be cautioned to avoid incendiary pronouncements capable of combusting the nation, all in the name of playing politics,” Ifoh said.