The Labour Party (LP) has denied accusations made by the Presidency that its presidential flag bearer, Peter Obi, and his supporters are behind a planned nationwide anti-government protest set for August 1. The Presidency has labeled the calls for protests under the hashtags #TinubuMustGo and #Revolution2024 as treasonable.
In a tweet, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, accused Peter Obi and his supporters of spreading these hashtags, claiming they are calls for treason. He described the organisers as "not democrats but anarchists" and floated a Save-Nigeria-Rally in response.
Onanuga linked the protest planners to the #EndSARS protests of October 2020, alleging that members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) hijacked those protests for their agenda. He accused the current protest organisers of seeking to destabilize Nigeria and called for the arrest of individuals like Babatunde Gbadamosi for their involvement.
The Labour Party, through its National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh, refuted these claims, emphasizing that the LP and Peter Obi are not involved in the planned protest. Ifoh reiterated that the Labour Party advocates for peaceful actions and urged caution against inflammatory statements from the Presidency.
Obi's campaign spokesman, Yunusa Tanko, dismissed the Presidency's allegations as unfounded and unfair. He argued that the hardships faced by Nigerians are the result of government policies, not actions by Peter Obi or the Labour Party.
The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) warned that any protest aiming to change the government is treasonable. APC National Publicity Director, Bala Ibrahim, stressed the importance of peaceful and orderly protests within constitutional bounds.
The New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) challenged the Presidency to provide evidence to support its claims about opposition involvement in the protests. NNPP National Publicity Secretary, Ladipo Johnson, asserted the right of citizens to protest peacefully and called for the government to listen to the concerns of its citizens.
Civil society organizations have affirmed the right of Nigerians to protest. Abiodun Bamigboye, Secretary of the Joint Action Front, and Prince Nze, Executive Director of Human Rights and Justice Group International, both emphasized the need for the government to address the issues raised by citizens rather than issuing threats.
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