Politicians who lost 2023 elections are behind planned nationwide protests —Senate president, Akpabio

Akpabio believes election losers are behind upcoming hunger protests

The President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio is confident that politicians who lost their elections in 2023 are behind the upcoming nationwide protest.

Nigerians have been expressing their frustration over the lingering and excruciatingly high cost of living and the situation has propelled citizens to hit the streets next month to protest against the situation.

The nationwide protest tagged #EndbadgovernanceinNigeria is scheduled to be held between Thursday, August 1, and Saturday, August 10.

But Akpabio believes the protest is not organic, claiming people who lost elections last year are planning to gain power through the backdoor.

Akpabio said this at the State House in Abuja after President Bola Tinubu signed the new minimum wage bill into law on Monday, July 29, 2024.

“People who probably do not have their fortunes in the 2023 election are thinking they can come through the back door, and that will amount to anarchy.

“It’s very clear that people who are behind this are very amorphous, very faceless. So what it means is that people are preparing to loot and go round and do all sorts of things,” he said.

He advised Nigerian youths against being misled politically by any group.

He said, “Any destruction of property would cost Nigeria money and we don’t have the money. Instead, let’s put the money into developing you and your environs.”

Oyo CP promises to protect protesters
Meanwhile, the Commissioner of Police in Oyo State, Ayodele Sonubi, has assured that peaceful and lawful protesters in the state would get adequate protection.

Sonubi stated this on Monday in Ibadan during a stakeholders’ meeting on the command’s preparedness toward the planned nationwide protest.