Presidency Bows To Pressure Says Nigeria Has The Right For Peaceful Protest

The Presidency has said Nigerians have the constitutional right to peaceful protest and no one can deny them this.

The declaration came on a day of pro-government protests, organised by statement chairmen of All Progressives Congress, APC rocked state capitals across the country and the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Abuja.

The Federal Government is also said to be taking steps to placate youths in the country to stave off the protest slated for Thursday, August 1, billed to last for 10 days.

However, the Inspector-General of Police, IGP, Kayode Egbetokun, yesterday summoned the legal adviser to the organisers of the protest, Mr Ebun Olu-Olu-Adegboruwa, SAN, to a meeting at Force Headquarters in Abuja today over the August 1, nationwide protest.

The declaration came against the backdrop of calls across the country that the protest against hardship in the land should not hold for fear of its being hijacked by violent people.

This came as no fewer than 36 civil society organisations in the country also reaffirmed the fundamental rights of citizens to peaceful protest as a fundamental pillar of democratic governance.

This is even as one of the arrowheads of the planned protest and convener of Take-It-Back Movement, Damilare Adenola, said Minister of Federal Capital Territory, FECT, Nyesom Wike, has no right to deny organisers of the protest use of Eagle Square in Abuja, it being a public facility.

The minister had a weekend and threatened to stop the use of the facility unless organisers of the protest, slated for Thursday, August 1, applied officially for it.

Meanwhile, Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, yesterday blamed the planned nationwide protest on politicians who lost the 2023 elections, alleging that they were intent on coming to power through the back door, just as the South-West Executive Committee of the All Progressives Congress, APC, appealed to Nigerians that the present hardship will soon give way to meaningful livelihood for all and urged them to ignore the protest.