The ruling All Progressives Congress, APC has countered the notion that the protests rocking the nation mostly across Northern states were not as a result of the alleged hardships Nigerians are facing occasioned by the subsidy removal but mere instigation by opposition parties to undermine the government of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu
In a statement on Tuesday, 6th February, 2024, signed by the National Publicity Secretary of the party, Barr Felix Morka, the ruling party said “In it’s arrant desperation to portray the All Progressives Congress (APC) led administration as underperforming, opposition parties have resorted to instigating unsuspecting young people to protests in the streets of some major cities”.
The party said “the protests in Minna and Kano on Monday were the manifestation of this devious and unpatriotic plot. That the protests happened simultaneously in both cities is not coincidental. It bears a bold stamp of an orchestrated and coordinated effort to instigate unrest and undermine the government. This mercenary opposition tactic is a clear and present threat to public peace and national security”
www.pointblank.com.ng can confirm that there were protests in Minna and Kano yesterday about the nail biting living conditions people are forced to embrace as the new normal.
“While we recognize the right of citizens to engage in peaceful protest, we urge our good people to be vigilant and not lend themselves to the treacherous attempt by the opposition to promote social strife by its incendiary rhetoric and manipulation plots” warned the party
Collaborating the positions of the First Lady, H.E Sen. Remi Tinubu and the Chief of Staff to President Tinubu, Rt Hon G Femi, who earlier in the week assured Nigerians that good times are rather here than later, the Publicity Secretary on behalf of the APC reassured the nation of President’s commitment to ensuring a good transition to his administration’s policies without pains. In his words “the President Bola Tinubu-led administration is solidly committed to doing everything in it’s power to mitigate the transient pains of critically important reforms that are crucial to economic recovery and sustainable prosperity for all Nigerians.” He said “it behoves us as good all citizens of our beloved country to stand fast with our government in this noble stride. In due time, these policy reforms will yield enduring beneficial transformation of the material conditions of life in the country”
“We implore Nigerians to shun the guide and unpatriotic attempt by opposition elements to destabilize the country for their own base and parochial political gains” concluded the party
What President Bola Ahmed Tinubu said about fuel subsidy removal in the past
It will be recollected that on 12th November, 2011 President Bola Ahmed Tinubu then leading the opposition parties in resisting attempts by the then President Good luck Ebele Jonathan” government to remove subsidy said “my party has taken a position and that is my own position also. There must be condition precedent before any talk of subsidy removal should be entertained. Certain things must be in place, in terms of infrastructure and people-oriented policies that could absolve the impact of such removal”. President Tinubu continued that”I challenge the Jonathan’s administration to hold a referendum on the fuel subsidy issue, to let Nigerians decide, just like it was done in Greece. That is the essence of democracy, which is a government for the people, of the people and by the people”.