President Tinubu’s special adviser on information and strategy, Mr Bayo Onanuga yesterday called out the supporters of the presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the last election, Mr Peter Obi, as the masterminds of a planned nationwide protest the President Bola Tinubu’s administration.-
Tasking security agents to interrogate the “agents of de-stabilization” behind the planned demonstration while also urging well-meaning Nigerians not to fall for their bait.
In a lengthy post on his verified X handle, @aonanuga1956, Onanuga, revealed that the same individuals who hijacked the 2020 ENDSARS protests are behind the planned demonstrations, spreading hashtags like ‘EndBadGovernance’ and ‘Tinubu Must Go.’ Onanuga, who described the masterminds as “anarchists” and “bad losers” who cannot wait for the 2027 elections but instead seeking to destabilize Nigeria through a “civilian coup, also asked that Obi be held responsible if the protests turn into anarchy.
The Presidency identified several key figures, including a faceless internet radio station owner and a Labour Party chief, as being involved in the planned protests. Onanuga warned that the protesters’ calls for “revolution” and “ending an elected government” amount to high treason and urged security agencies to act against those threatening the country’s stability.
The post he tagged “REVEALED: Peter Obi’s supporters are the people planning mayhem in Nigeria: Obi should be held responsible for anarchy”, recalled how a similar call for protest in 2020 was hijacked by other elements, leaving the nation’s economic hub, Lagos State, reeling in massive destruction and looting of public and private property. Onanuga emphasized that every country faces economic challenges, but civilized nations address leadership concerns through elections, not violent protests.
He also highlighted the government’s efforts to address the cost of living crisis, including an over 100% increase in minimum wage, student loans, and palliatives such as food distribution. He also noted improvements in the economy, including reduced inflation, increased revenue generation and a booming stock market.
The Presidency, however, urged citizens to consider these efforts before joining protests and warned that those calling for demonstrations should wait until the 2027 elections to effect leadership change.
However, in a statement by its Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh yesterday, the opposition party denied any involvement by it or its former presidential candidate in the planned protest. In a separate statement also yesterday, the Peter Obi Media Reach dismissed the allegation linking the former Anambra State governor with the planned protest.
