The All Progressives Congress (APC), reputed for street protests and demonstrations, has taken a swipe at organisers of the #FreeNnamdiKanuProtest.
Mr Seye Oladejo, APC Spokesperson in Lagos, Monday in Lagos condemned nationwide street agitations being staged in parts of the country, especially across the South East and Abuja, the Nigerian capital.
In a signed statement, Mr. Oladejo said that the party condemns, in the strongest terms what he calls “the orchestrated tension and politically motivated street agitations.”
According to him, the party finds it deeply disturbing that certain opposition leaders, who should know better, are the ones endorsing and sponsoring the protests.
He said that the alleged the involvement of opposition leaders revealed what could only be described “as a classic case of the Biblical hand of Jacob but the voice of Esau”.
He said that the protest was a deceitful manipulation hiding behind the façade of activism.
“While freedom of expression and peaceful assembly are sacrosanct in any democracy, what we are witnessing is far from a legitimate call for justice.
“It is a dangerous display of reckless politics, carefully scripted by desperate opposition figures who see chaos as their last political weapon.
“This so-called protest is not about justice; it is about political frustration.
“It represents the height of bitter, destructive politics – an attempt by those who have been roundly rejected by Nigerians at the polls to exploit national issues in search of cheap relevance,” Oladejo said.
He described as shocking the insensitivity of the protest organisers and their sponsors.
Oladejo lamented that the protesters were embarking on a protest at a time when the South East was still bleeding from years of mindless bloodshed, kidnappings, and enforced sit-at-home orders.
He said that with all consequences of violent agitation, the protesters had chosen to mock the memories of the victims.
“They ignore the tears of widows, the pains of orphans, and the devastation of communities ruined by senseless violence.
“Their protest is not a demand for justice; it is a betrayal of the sacrifices of the innocent,” the APC chieftain said.
According to him, for years, ordinary citizens in the South East have lived in fear.
He said that traders were afraid to open their shops, transporters grounded by threats, children deprived of education, and families shattered by insecurity.
Oladejo said: “Yet, instead of standing with their people to heal these wounds, these political opportunists have returned to fan the embers of division, hoping to profit from instability.
“Let it be clear: no one is above the law. The case of Mr. Nnamdi Kanu remains a judicial matter properly before the courts.
“Nigeria’s judiciary is competent, independent, and capable of delivering justice without recourse to mob pressure or street intimidation.”
He called on security agencies to remain vigilant, urging all patriotic Nigerians, especially leaders of thought in the South East, to reject the antics of those who traffic in bitterness.
“Nigeria belongs to all of us, and we must not allow political desperation to tear it apart.
“There must indeed be a limit to bitter politics,” he added.
Media reports indicate that there have been several appeals to President Bola Tinubu to grant clemency to the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu.
