Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar and the United Nations (UN) have expressed differing opinions regarding the planned protest against economic hardship in Nigeria.
Atiku has called on the Federal Government to allow Nigerians to exercise their constitutional right to organize a peaceful protest.
In contrast, the UN Department of Safety and Security has warned that the protests could be hijacked by groups with ulterior motives.
In a post on X, Atiku criticized the current administration for attempting to suppress the protesters, describing it as an “exercise in futility.”
He highlighted the irony that those stifling the rights of Nigerians to protest now were leading protests themselves in 2012.
“The rights of citizens to protest are enshrined in the Nigerian Constitution and affirmed by our courts,” Atiku stated. “Section 40 of the 1999 Constitution unequivocally guarantees the right to peaceful assembly and association.
Chasing shadows and contriving purported persons behind the planned protests is futile when it is obvious that Nigerians, including supporters of Tinubu and the ruling APC, are caught up in the hunger, anger, and hopelessness brought about by the incompetence and cluelessness of this government.”
Atiku emphasized that any attempt to suppress these rights is unconstitutional and a direct affront to democracy.
On July 20, Bayo Onanuga, special adviser on information and strategy to the president, alleged that supporters of Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 elections, were behind the proposed nationwide protest.
He suggested that the organizers were the same individuals who hijacked the #EndSARS protest in 2020, calling their actions an instigation of a “civilian coup.”
Meanwhile, the UN department of safety and security has expressed concerns that the planned protests might be hijacked, potentially leading to violence.
A threat and risk assessment dated July 19 noted past instances where similar protests escalated, leading to vandalism and major disruptions.
The UN warned, “As the turnout for the ’10 days of rage’ protest is expected to be high, large-scale disruptions to normal economic and social activities cannot be discounted.”
The assessment also indicated that confrontations between groups supporting and opposing the government’s policies could occur from the end of July through mid-August.
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