The Southeast Governors’ Forum on Wednesday distanced itself from the planned nationwide protests on August 1, citing concerns about the fragile political environment and potential hijacking by criminal elements.
Chairman of of the Forum, Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State, made the position of the zonal governors known while speaking with newsmen at the State House, Abuja after meeting President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, in the company of Governor of Ebonyi State, Francis Nwifuru, and former President of the Senate, Pius Anyim, who recently defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Uzodimma acknowledged that protests are allowed in a democratic setting, but pointed out the need for reasonable conception and clear objectives, questioning the motives behind the protests, as the organizers have not publicly disclosed their reasons.
The Chairman of the Progressives Governors’ Forum warned that protests could worsen the economic hardship caused by the global recession and advised against overheating the polity.
He urged potential protesters to engage with the government to address specific issues, rather than resorting to demonstrations, saying the five governors of the Southeast geo-political zoneare opposed to a protest at this time.
Acvirding to him: “Democracy is about opinion of the people and the protest is allowed in a democratic setting. Every protest must be reasonably conceived to be able to make political sense. I think it’s 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 who are 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, and if they have no reason for the protests, I think our advise, well meaning Nigerians, citizens of this country who are making sacrifices, some of us have paid the supreme price for the existence of this country, we should guide our country very jealously.
“I think it is 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 now hijacked an innocently conceived agitation by young Nigerians. So this is another kind of temptation that I think those behind the protests, because they have not been able to come out openly to say they’re behind it, there is a motive that is yet to be unraveled.
“So I think that 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 government to do? Because the reason for protests is that they want an issue to be addressed. What are the issues?
“So in my view, I think there is no need to overheat the polity, overheat our environment and put our people in a position that the hardship that is occasioned by economic recession all over the world is further worsened. So I advise against the protests”, he said.
Deji Elumoye
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