The Presidency and 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi have traded words over a planned ‘EndBadGovernance’ protest.
The protest against economic hardship, which is gaining traction on social media, has been scheduled to be held across all states of the Federation as well as the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, in August.
Prices of food and basic commodities have gone through the roof in the last months, as Nigerians battle one of the country’s worst inflation and economic crisis sparked by the government’s twin policies of petrol subsidy removal and unification of forex windows.
The Federal Government, through the National Orientation Agency (NOA), and the Nigeria Police Force as well as the House of Representatives have warned against the planned demonstration.
Presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga on Saturday accused the Labour Party and Obi of being the masterminds of the protest aimed at drawing the attention of President Bola Tinubu to the current economic situation in the country.
“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.
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.”
