The All Progressives Congress (APC) has strongly denounced the upcoming protests against President Bola Tinubu’s administration, branding the orchestrators as “failed politicians.” This assertion was made by Chief Tony Okocha, the APC Caretaker Chairman in Rivers State, during a press briefing at the party’s national headquarters in Abuja.
Okocha criticized the planned demonstrations, claiming they are driven by politicians who have failed to achieve their goals. He urged Nigerians to disregard these protests, emphasizing that they aim to undermine both the APC and President Tinubu.
“As a party in Rivers State and patriotic citizens of Nigeria, we would like to seize this opportunity to caution against the planned protest by people I call failed politicians. They cannot destroy the APC or the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Bola Ahmed Tinubu. We should support the president as he is determined to move Nigeria forward. It will take time, but the process is in place,” he stated.
Okocha further explained that the protests are misguided, suggesting that instead of targeting President Tinubu, critics should focus on their state governments. He noted that federal allocations to Rivers State have significantly increased since the removal of the fuel subsidy, with no direct control by the President over state-level spending.
“The removal of fuel subsidy brought in money to the system and the President didn’t put the money in his pockets. He is giving out. When these money are given to the states, do they think the President should also come and administer its use?” he asked.
Addressing concerns about the protests leading to chaos, Okocha argued that comparisons with other countries like Kenya or Sudan are flawed due to different circumstances and populations. He warned that such protests could lead to violence, questioning whether they would solve Nigeria’s problems.
