ABUJA, Nigeria – The Nigerian Presidency has directed security agencies, including the country’s Secret Police known as the Department of State Services, DSS, to take action against supporters of Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 election, for allegedly plotting to create unrest across the country.
Bayo Onanuga, a media aide to President Bola Tinubu, posted on his X handle on Saturday, July 20, 2024, accusing Obi and his supporters of organising protests aimed at instigating anarchy.
REVEALED: Peter Obi’s supporters are the people planning mayhem in Nigeria: Obi should be held responsible for anarchy
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… pic.twitter.com/9havOCZyWB
— Bayo Onanuga (@aonanuga1956) July 20, 2024
“Peter Obi’s supporters are the people planning mayhem in Nigeria: Obi should be held responsible for anarchy,” Onanuga wrote.
“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 further stated, “If they understand the meaning of their hashtags, they will realize they are clarion calls for treason. Wanting to end an elected government is high treason. Wanting revolution is a call for a coup d’état, which is also high treason. President Tinubu has a four-year mandate to run his agenda. Those calling for protest should wait till 2027 to either re-elect him or elect their messiah, Mr Peter Obi.”
Although Nigeria’s economic crisis predates Tinubu’s administration, recent policies, including the removal of the fuel subsidy and the floating of the naira, have worsened the situation.
The removal of the subsidy has caused petrol prices to surge from N145 to N710 per litre, and the naira has depreciated to over N1,500 to the dollar.
International Monetary Fund has praised these measures as bold reforms. However, the resulting inflation has sparked protests across several states, including Niger, Osun, Ibadan, and Lagos, Tinubu’s home state.
In response to the economic hardship, the federal government has distributed trucks of rice to states to alleviate hunger and has raised the minimum wage from N30,000 to N70,000.
