Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has described the nationwide hunger and end bad governance protest as a complex chess game of power with unseen hands. He believes the protests are being manipulated by those with ulterior motives rather than purely driven by the grievances of the common people.
Similarly, former Edo State Governor Adams Oshiomhole has asserted that the protest has taken on a political agenda aimed at regime change by individuals who lost out in the political arena. He emphasized that the protests are no longer just about hunger and bad governance, but have been co-opted by those seeking to destabilize the current administration.
It is important to recall that some prominent Nigerians and political parties, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and the Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP), criticized President Bola Tinubu’s speech. They argued that the speech did not adequately address the concerns of the protesters.
Keyamo, a senior lawyer, expressed his views on Twitter, reacting to comments on President Tinubu’s speech, which appealed to protesters to halt their demonstrations. He stated that those intent on causing chaos would always find fault with the president’s speech, regardless of how many times it was revised.
He said, “Even if Mr. President @officialABAT redrafts his wonderful speech one million times over, those with nefarious intentions will continue to pooh-pooh it in order to justify their continued instigation of mayhem. Their real intention is to force the hand of Mr. President to negotiate power with them. It is as simple as that.”
Keyamo also highlighted that the real victims in this situation are the unaware but patriotic citizens on social media and the criminals causing disturbances on the streets. He pointed out that, “Behind all these facade is a complex chess game of power with unseen hands.”
On his part, Oshiomhole, who is currently serving as a senator, spoke in an interview on ARISE News. He explained that while the protests began with valid concerns about hunger and economic hardship, they have been taken over by individuals with a different agenda. He stressed that any attempt to change the government must follow constitutional procedures and be pursued through elections.
Oshiomhole also criticized Omoyele Sowore, a former presidential candidate who has been very vocal in recent protests. He said, “I did say that let nobody talk about peaceful protest. Whereas I recognise the right to peaceful protest, which I exploited, enjoyed and practicalised, I also said when you exercise that right to protest, you must also look at the demands and I have looked at it and my takeaway from it is a lot of these guys are only hiding under hunger. What they are actually asking for is regime change and I said you cannot legally, lawfully and peacefully demand regime change under the Nigerian constitution.”
He continued by stating that, “On the day before the protest, I saw many people calling for peaceful protests, emphasising that the constitution guarantees the right to peaceful protest. I have led so many protests, both in the public and the private sector, national level.”
Oshiomhole reiterated that the only way to change the government is through elections as provided for in the constitution. He emphasized, “It must be clear to everybody that the only way to effect a change of government is to go through an election as provided for in the constitution. There is no room for regime change, no room for military takeover of government in Nigeria.”
Addressing the core issue of hunger, Oshiomhole argued that the protests are using this as a facade. He said, “The issue is not about if there is hunger. The issue is that the people used what the people can feel. At no time in my protest history did I demand regime change.”
He stressed the importance of understanding the true motives behind the protests, saying, “I emphasised regime change because I know the logic. These people, I don’t know them. Who are those who want to take back Nigeria from Nigeria? The business of governance is not a tea party.”
Both Keyamo and Oshiomhole agree that the protests have been infiltrated by individuals with hidden agendas and caution that while peaceful protests are a constitutional right, any attempt to change the government must be done through legitimate and constitutional means. The focus should remain on addressing the genuine concerns of hunger and economic hardship, without allowing the situation to be manipulated for political gains.
