Former national vice chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Salihu Mohammed Lukman, has issued a stern warning to President Bola Tinubu on nationwide protests over the high cost of living.
In a statement on Wednesday in Abuja, Lukman, a former Director General of the Progressive Governors Forum, expressed concern that if the pressing issues causing the protests were not promptly addressed, mass demonstrations would soon engulf the entire country.
He stated, “As it is now, the renewed hope agenda of our party has been floated. Like the Naira exchange rate, Renewed Hope is being exchanged for Renewed Anger. The value is becoming more and more provocative to citizens.”
Lukman, a committed member of the APC, expressed his disappointment that the current challenges were occurring under the leadership of the party.
He criticized the National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Felix Morka, for alleging that opposition parties were behind the protests.
He emphasized, “For Mr. Morka to issue such a very dishonest statement points to only one thing: that the leadership of our party has completely lost it and at this rate their political utility value is zero. This clearly suggests that even the old pretence about being progressive has been thrown to the dogs.”
Lukman questioned the credibility of suggesting that opposition parties could mobilize citizens to protest the APC government in its strongholds. He pointed out that Minna and Kano, where protests occurred, are strongholds of the APC.
“To suggest that any opposition party could mobilize citizens to protest against our government is already defeatist. The hard reality is that these protests are logical responses to the realities facing Nigerians,” Lukman asserted.
He also cautioned the APC and President Tinubu not to ignore the protests, stating, “If these realities continue unattended to, these protests will spread like bush fire across every part of the country within a very short period. No one should be deceived; these are justifiable protests, which test the responsiveness of our party, our leaders, and above all our democracy. APC and President Asiwaju Tinubu may wish to ignore them at their peril.”
