Former vice president Atiku Abubakar has reacted to the nationwide mass protest planned by Nigerian youths to take place on August 1, 2024.
Commenting on the #Endbadgovernance protest via his official X handle, Atiku who was the presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), in the February 2023 election said, Nigerians have a constitutional right to protest.
He advised the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Federal Government to “stop chasing shadows” by contriving that certain persons are behind the protest and understand that even supporters of President Bola Tinubu would be part of the protest, which is basically against the hunger in the land and bad leadership of the current administration of the country.
He twitted: “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.
“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.
“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. -AA”
