The candidate of the PDP in the 2023 presidential election, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, has berated quarters from the President Bola Tinubu camp over their plans to prevent law-abiding Nigerians from staging a protest against the federal government.
Atiku, in a statement on Tuesday, mentioned that Nigerians have the constitutional rights to “peaceful assembly and association,” and as such, nobody should rob them of their rights.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the rights of citizens to protest are enshrined in the Nigerian Constitution and affirmed by our courts. Section 40 of the 1999 Constitution (as altered) unequivocally guarantees the right to peaceful assembly and association,” he said.
He also mentioned that accusing several persons of allegedly planning the protest against the Tinubu-led administration “is an exercise in futility,” which will not deter Nigerians from exercising their legislative rights.
“Chasing shadows and contriving purported persons behind the planned protests is an exercise in futility 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 added.
Chronicle NG reports that Bayo Onanuga, Tinubu’s media aide, had accused Peter Obi, the Labour Party candidate in the 2023 presidential election, of being the brain behind the planned protest schedule to begin on the 1st of August, 2024.
“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,” Atiku stated.
Furthermore, he added that “any attempt to suppress these rights is not only unconstitutional but a direct affront to our democracy.”
