As the planned ‘EndBadGovernance’ protest scheduled for August approaches, President Bola Tinubu, on Thursday, convened an emergency closed-door meeting on Thursday with top traditional rulers, security chiefs, and governors from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
The high-level meeting took place at the State House in Abuja, the nation’s capital.
Leading the APC governors was Hope Uzodinma, Chairman of the Progressives Governors’ Forum and Imo State Governor.
The meeting was also attended by first-class traditional rulers, including the Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Ogunwusi, and the Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammadu Saad Abubakar III, along with other traditional leaders from across the country.
Key security figures at the meeting included National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu, Inspector General of Police Kayode Egbetokun, and various ministers and members of the President’s cabinet.
Additionally, a delegation of Islamic scholars (Ulamas) joined the discussions later in the day.
The protests, organized in response to governance issues and rising living costs, have garnered significant public interest and concern.
After the call for protests began to gain ground, the Federal Government, governors and the security establishment have been trying to dissuade organisers from going ahead with the protest.
On Wednesday, the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) held a meeting in Abuja, starting Wednesday night and ending early Thursday.
NGF Chairman and Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, shared that the meeting featured a briefing from the National Security Adviser (NSA), who highlighted the increasing momentum for the protests and assured support in enhancing state security
On Thursday, military authorities issued warnings that certain elements might attempt to hijack the protest to incite chaos, similar to recent events in Kenya.
The police echoed these concerns, cautioning against potential violence reminiscent of the EndSARS protests against police brutality in October 2020.
President Bola Tinubu, through the Information Minister, had appealed for patience and called for postponing the protests.
The minister said, “You see, the government of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu believes in the freedom of everyone within the confines of the law to do what he thinks is right for him.
“Therefore, the President is not an opponent of protest of any kind but the President is an opponent of violence and anything that will negatively hamper the wellbeing of Nigerians.
“He believes and has always been saying that within the tenets of democracy, you have every right to do whatever you want to do provided that right does not infringe on another person’s right.
“Why everybody is very cautious and very weary of this national protest is because we have seen what has happened around the world.
“We know that it’s almost impossible to hold this protest and then have peace at the end of the day. We cannot do that because some people are waiting to take the laws into their own hands.”
