…Your hate speeches will destroy Nigeria – Elder Statesman warns Onanuga
…Losers of 2023 Presidential Election behind planned protest — Okocha alleges
By Sodiq Adelakun
In a surprise move, Peter Obi, the former Governor of Anambra State and 2023 Presidential candidate, has broken his silence on the planned national protest against bad governance.
He made the statement on Sunday that he holds no grudges against those spreading lies and falsehoods about him, but has urged them to channel their energies towards helping Nigerians who are suffering due to the unfriendly economy.
Recall that in a lengthy tweet published on his X (formerly Twitter) account on Saturday, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, warned against staging a protest against the federal government.
Onanuga, on the other hand, proposed a Save Nigeria Rally from August 1–15, 2024, in response to preparations for statewide protest on August 1–10 over growing cost of living and economic hardship.
Also, The Labour Party has also denied allegations made by the Presidency that its presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and his supporters are orchestrating the planned nationwide protest on August
The Presidency had labelled the calls for protest under the hashtags #TinubuMustGo and #Revolution2024 as treasonable, but the Labour Party has refuted this claim.”
Meanwhile, Obi, in a personally signed statement released via his X (formerly Twitter) account on Sunday, said: “To those who have chosen to spread falsehoods and lies about me for their own gain or at the bidding of their paymasters, I am equally grateful to you. I urge you to channel your energy and resources towards helping everyday Nigerians who are struggling to find their next meal, secure education for their children, gain employment, and access adequate healthcare.”
The former Anambra State Governor submitted that his political journey has not been rooted in any personal gain, but the principle of genuine love for the people.
The declaration by Obi follows a recent allegation by the Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, who accused Obi of being behind a planned protest by some Nigerians against the government.
The LP presidential candidate, however, said rather than fabricating and spreading lies about him, it is better to pay attention to the plight of the citizens who are crying out due to the hardship in the country.
He added, “My political journey has never been about desperation or personal gain. It is rooted in principles and a genuine care for the people. Rather than fabricating lies, you and your paymasters should listen to the cries of the poor, who cannot afford medicine and who are uncertain about their next meal.”
Obi also said, “To those who spread falsehoods, I hold no malice. Instead, I pray for the blessings of God upon you and your families. May we all work together for the prosperous new Nigeria that is now a clear possibility!”
The 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, on Sunday, declared that he holds no grudges against those spreading lies and falsehoods about him.
Meanwhile, elder statesman and former gubernatorial aspirant in Anambra State, Chike Obidigbo, has warned President Bola Tinubu’s aide, Bayo Onanuga, to stop making inciting remarks and provocative hate speeches that could damage Nigeria’s national cohesion and set the nation on a needless conflagration.
Obidigbo condemned Onanuga’s recent statement, claiming that Peter Obi and his supporters, the Obidients, should be blamed for the planned national protest against bad governance.
“Onanuga has formed the habit of talking down on Nigerians as if he is at the head of a military junta. When he is not withdrawing ill-conceived communication, he churns out statements dripping with deep-seated bile and hateful innuendos sentences,” Obidigbo said.
He added, “His latest attempt to link the former Governor of Anambra State with the youth-propelled national protest comes as one of the unthinking statements unbefitting a presidential aide. Onanuga should be reminded that when the dark clouds he is invoking bring down rain, nobody’s roof will be safe.”
Obidigbo also stated, “Onanuga and indeed all those in public offices should reckon that Nigeria is at a tricky crossroads and show some level of empathy to Nigerian masses who are going through excruciating hardship compounded by insecurity, rising food prices and cost of living challenges.”
He noted, “In his heart of hearts, Bayo Onanuga knows that Mr Peter Obi has been exemplary in conduct and character and has remained focused on the issues of economic development, especially mitigating mass poverty and giving a helping hand to the poorest of the poor.”
In the same vein, the caretaker committee chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Rivers state, Chief Tony Okocha, has alleged that the losers of the 2023 presidential election are behind the planned nationwide protest against hunger and bad governance in Nigeria.
Okocha made the allegation on Sunday in Port Harcourt, stating that “those behind this unpatriotic call are bad electoral losers who shouldn’t be in politics in the first place because they lack the spirit of sportsmanship.” He added that “this set of people who are organising and mobilising for the ‘Nationwide Protest’ are well known serial political failures.”
Okocha further alleged that the sponsors and organisers of the protest are also calling for the takeover of the government, which he described as an offence.
He noted that while it’s within their right to speak up against the government, they should ensure that the planned protest doesn’t result in any breakdown of law and order or loss of innocent lives.
The APC chairman highlighted the efforts of the government of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to address the economic situation in the country, including the launch of a credit corporation to promote consumption credit, provision of palliatives, and investment in agriculture. He also noted that the national debt has been reduced, and investors are gaining confidence in the government.
Okocha quoted, “It is no longer news that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, has graciously approved an increment in the minimum wage of the Nigerian worker by over 100 percent from N30,000 to N70,000.”
He added that the call for a “Nationwide Protest” is unpatriotic, insensitive, and disruptive, and should be condemned by all well-meaning Nigerians.