Former Presidential candidate of Peoples Democratic Party PDP, Atiku Abubakar has urged Nigerians to exercise their constitutional right to protest against the economic difficulties facing the country.
The former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate emphasized that the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria (as amended) guarantees citizens the right to peaceful protest.
In a statement on Tuesday, Atiku responded to accusations from the Presidency, which claimed that some individuals were orchestrating the protests. He dismissed these allegations as pointless.
Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, had accused Peter Obi, former Labour Party presidential candidate, and his supporters of organizing a protest planned for August. The Presidency has also issued indirect threats to those participating in the “End Bad Governance” protest.
Atiku reaffirmed, “The rights of citizens to protest are enshrined in the Nigerian Constitution and affirmed by our courts. Section 40 of the 1999 Constitution clearly guarantees the right to peaceful assembly and association.”
He criticized the government’s focus on identifying supposed organizers of the protests, stating that the root issue is the widespread suffering caused by the current administration’s incompetence. Atiku also recalled how President Tinubu and his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), led protests against former President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration in 2012.
Warning the federal government, Atiku said any attempt to suppress the upcoming protests would be a direct attack on Nigeria’s democracy. “It is deeply ironic that those who now seek to stifle these rights were themselves leading protests in 2012. A responsible government must ensure a safe and secure environment for citizens to exercise their constitutionally guaranteed rights to peaceful protest. Any attempt to suppress these rights is not only unconstitutional but a direct affront to our democracy,” he stated.
