Leaders of thought of Ndigbo extraction cutting across the political class, captains of industry, sociocultural leaders, opinion moulders and stakeholders have advised youths, traders, religious organizations, and town unions not to participate in the planned protest billed for August 1 to 10, 2024, over economic hardship.
The minister of works David Umahi has called on Ndigbo to disregard any form of protest organized by anybody or group against President Bola Tinubu.
Giving reasons Ndigbo should not take part in the protest which he termed ill-conceived, Umahi noted that Tinubu’s administration had not only made spirited attempts at bringing the South East to the central government, he equally observed that “President Tinubu is making hard decisions to restore the country’s lost glory”.
The minister of works made this declaration in Abakaliki last Wednesday during a meeting on the alignment for the Ebonyi State 101km segment of the 477km Cross River-South East-North Central-Apo Abuja six-lane superhighway.
He stated that the government of Tinubu was very much interested in the South East affair hence he made a service chief from the zone and also gave Ndigbo lucrative appointments like himself being the minister of works, a grade one ministry, and the first of its kind since independence.
Based on the reasons he mentioned above, the former governor of Ebonyi State warned those from the South East who are among those “fanning the ember of division in the country to desist from it, as it amounts to a waste of time”.
Umahi proclaimed to the high heavens that “South-East people are not endangered, and should avoid sit-at-home because of its economic sabotage and self-inflicted injury”.
The Ohanaeze Ndigbo even before the August 1 – 10, 2024, planned protest, had advised people of South East not to encourage, promote, or participate in any protest against Tinubu administration. The group’s president, Chief (Engr) Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, cautioned against all ill-advised protests given “the current economic crisis in Nigeria” which he described as “unfortunate”, noting that forcing people to stay at home in the face of the depressed economy would only worsen the already bad situation at hand.
Iwuanyanwu therefore urged Ndigbo not to partake in any planned national protest against the Federal Government of Nigeria or at any level for that matter.
According to Iwuanyanwu, “As your leader, I am directing that no Igbo group or community in Nigeria or the Diaspora should join any protest against this government. I am still studying the situation and I have asked those who made entreaties to me to tell me what their position was before the South East was dis -franchised”.
Taking the matter from an entirely different perspective, an APC bigwig, Mr Joe Igbokwe, in a letter addressed to Ndigbo and entitled “Honest advice for IGBO across Nigeria especially Lagos, the erstwhile human rights advocate turned politician accused followers of the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, LP, Mr Peter Obi, being behind the planned protest, and warned of severe consequences if they didn’t desist.
“I am the leader of Ndigbo in APC Lagos. I have lived in Lagos for more than 40 years and I understand Lagos dynamics and politics very well. I know what I went through and what I experienced during the #Endsars protest in Lagos in October 2020 which opened a can of worms that shook the long-existing cordial relationship and understanding between Igbo and the owners of Lagos”, he began.
He added, “The Endsars bandits are gathering again, and this time we see hands of Labour Party followers everywhere. They are yet to come to terms with the colossal loss of the 2023 Presidential Elections. They are still bitter to the marrows. They are not done yet. They are gathering again. They are networking again. They are spitting fire and brimstone once again. But dynamics have changed. It is not business as usual.
“But please know this and have inner peace: 2020 is not 2024. I will not speak further. Read my lips. A lot of lessons were learned by the leaders of Lagos and they said and I witnessed it with my own two eyes that NEVER AGAIN will they allow any group of people or protesters to play the unfortunate October 2020 game in Lagos that led massive destruction of the economic nerve center and the pride of Nigeria.
The destructive messages that were issued to them by their leader are still with the Lagos State Government.
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I am speaking as an insider who has seen it all and let me say this: If you are one of those bandits trying to stage a comeback to test the will of Lagos leaders and finish the unfinished business of destroying Lagos, I fear for you. Please in the name of whatever you believe in leave Lagos in your interest. Read my lips and learn.
“You do not tell a deaf and dumb man that war has started. If he sees others running he will run also. History has shown that men have not learned anything from history.
Eneke the bird says since men have learned to shoot without missing it has learned to fly without perching. In the same vein since Lagos has learned to shoot without missing it is wise for inhabitants in Lagos to take precautionary measures and secure themselves”.
Then, Igbokwe dropped the bombshell, “Woe betide any group of people or persons who want confront the ugly history again in Lagos. It would be better if such people were not born. History has shown that men have not learned anything from history. Only fools do not learn from history. I can take a horse to the river but I cannot force it to drink”.
In a press release made available to journalists, Bayo Onanuga, special adviser on information and strategy to President Bola Tinubu, gave bite and credence to Igbokwe’s line of thought. He alleged that supporters of Peter Obi and LP were the masterminds of the proposed nationwide protest.
“Obi should be held responsible for anarchy. 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 indicated on his X handle.
He further stated “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. ENDSARS began as a genuine protest by youths against the Police Special Anti-Robbery Squad, notorious for its high-handedness.
“IPOB members planning to extricate the South East region from Nigeria infiltrated the protest and hijacked it for their agenda. Lagos still bears the scar of the malicious destruction by IPOB elements until today. Two years after ENDSARS, the IPOB, and the gullible innocents joined the Labour Party in 2022 to support Peter Obi, a sympathizer of their cause. They are the people spreading the hashtags: ‘EndBadGovernance’, ‘Tinubu Must Go,’ and ‘Revolution2024’.”
The former publisher of The News Magazine enthused that “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”.
He noted that “As bad losers, they don’t have the patience to wait for another election in 2027; they would rather destabilize Nigeria by staging a civilian coup against President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. 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. I have been on the trail of one of the protest planners, who is nameless but claims to have an internet radio station, PTM100.88 Abuja.”
Meanwhile, the Labour Party Diaspora Directorate has distanced the party and its presidential candidate in the 2023 general election, Obi, from the planned protest, thereby debunking Onanuga’s claims.
In a statement signed by Amb. Aju Elumelu, the deputy director (Diaspora), head, of media and communications, directorate of mobilization and integration, in Abuja, “The Labour Party and Peter Obi have consistently championed peace and lawful conduct.
“Our record, especially in the aftermath of the last general election, speaks volumes about our commitment to peaceful and constructive engagement in Nigeria’s political landscape. We have always prioritized the rule of law and encouraged our supporters to do the same.
“While we acknowledge and respect the constitutional right of the Nigerian people to protest, it is essential to clarify that any peaceful protest initiated by citizens is an independent exercise of their democratic rights and is not orchestrated or controlled by the Labour Party or any opposition party. Historical examples from Kenya, Egypt, and other nations underscore that popular protests arise from the people’s direct response to their experiences and frustrations with governance.
“We condemn the recent attempt by certain individuals, including Mr. Bayo Onanuga, to falsely attribute the ‘EndBadGovernance’ protest to the Labour Party and Peter Obi.
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“Such statements are not only misleading but also dangerous, as they seek to incite division and unrest. The Labour Party believes in responsible and truthful communication, especially in these sensitive times”.
Fundamentally, the grassroots Igbo said they would not join the planned protest billed for August because it didn’t represent their interest even as the organizers never consulted with Igbo leaders on the mode and scope of the nationwide event.
” I have spoken to some of the most respected Igbo leaders, opinion moulders, religious elders as well as youth executive, their thoughts and mine are on the same page as far as this August nationwide protest is concerned. We all have some reservations about the event.
“We want to know if our leaders were consulted during the planning stages of the protest. Who and who are behind the protest? How are we sure that Ndigbo will not be the scapegoat at the end of it all”?, Ogu Onyeulo, an Imo State-based public affairs analyst, inquired.
Ibeakolam Igwe toed the path of Onyeulo and added this: “Before Ndigbo will participate in the protest ahead, may we know if it will lead to the release of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu? Will it fast-track the long-sought additional state to South East? Will it attract the presence of the Federal Government to our zone, like building of refinery and constructing rail lines to our region? If not count us out “.
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