The Governors of the Southeast States have advised aggrieved Nigerians against going ahead with the nationwide protest scheduled to commence on August 1.
The Governors gave the advise while reacting to the looming nationwide protest, after their meeting in Abuja, on Wednesday.
This was disclosed to State House Correspondents at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, by the Chairman of the Southeast Governors Forum, SGF, and Governor of Imo State, Senator Hope Uzodimma.
He stated that it is too early to start agitating against the Tinubu administration over the economic downturn.
The Chairman noted that the economic challenges are also affecting other counties of the world.
Uzodimma was at the State House to present the newest defector to the All Progressives Congress, APC, from the Southeast region to President Bola Tinubu.
Recall that the from Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Senator and from Ebonyi State, Chief Anyim Pius Anyim, recently defected to All Progressives Congress.
Anyim served as a former President of the Senate and also Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, to the President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration.
Reacting to the call for a nationwide protest, Uzodimma feared that given the fragile state of the nation at the moment, the protest could be hijacked by unscrupulous persons. He stated that the hoodlums could use the protest to cause mayhem, as was experienced during the #EndSARS protests.
“Democracy is about opinion of the people and protest is allowed in a democratic setting. Every protest must be reasonably conceived to be able to make political sense. I think it is too early at this time in the life of this government for anybody to come out to say he wants to protest.
“First of all, there has not been any engagement where those sponsoring the protest were able to tell us the reasons for the protests.
“Secondly, given the global situation today and the insecurity in the country, we have a very fragile political environment. That if not managed and protected very well, may collapse the entire country.
“So, those who are going to protest, what is the reason for the protests? If they have no reason for the protests, I think our advise is that the protest should not hold.
“Some of us have paid the supreme price for the existence of this country. We should guard our country very jealously.
“I think it is the wrong time for anybody to do any protests. Because the implication of doing that, if care is not taken, is that it may be hijacked. Like the #EndSARS experience, where criminals hijacked an innocently conceived agitation by young Nigerians.
“So, this is another kind of temptation that I think those behind the protests should ponder over. Especially as they have not been able to come out openly to say they are behind it. There is a motive that is yet to be unraveled.
“We are not in support of the protest. We are not going to support any protest that has no programme. That is not discussed, that nobody knows what the problem is.
“Okay, if you are protesting, what do you want the government to do? Because the reason for protests is you want an issue to be addressed. What are the issues?
“So, in my view, I think there is no need to overheat the polity. Overheating our environment and putting our people in a position where the hardship, occasioned by economic recession all over the world is further worsen it. I advise against the protests,” Uzodinma said.
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