By Dirisu Yakubu
Against the backdrop of declaration by Mallam Garba Shehu, Senior Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on Media and Publicity that promoters of the #EndSARS protests will face the wrath of the law; the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Monday, called on the Presidential aide to stop playing to the gallery and “tell his boss the truth for once.”
This is even as the party said it fully supported the rationale behind the agitation against operatives of the now disbanded Special Anti-Robbery Squad, SARS and all forms of brutality against innocent Nigerians by the Nigerian Police.
Reacting to the position of the Presidency on the promoters of the protests, Diran Odeyemi, PDP deputy national publicity secretary told our correspondent that the protest, before it was hijacked by hoodlums, was nothing short of reminding the President Muhammadu Buhari-led government to be alive to its responsibility.
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He said: “The PDP stands with the principle behind the #EndSARS protests which is a reminder to the All Progressives Congress, APC-controlled government that under its watch, Nigeria is drifting. The protest was a reminder that the Buhari-led government has broken down completely.
“While we align with the movement to call the federal government to order, we condemned the hijacking of the protest for selfish purposes. No sane mind or party will support the destruction of lives and properties of the people. Again, we condemn the violence that trailed the agitations following the influence of hoodlums.
“We advice Garba Shehu to tell his boss the truth for once in the overall interest of Nigerians and stop playing to the gallery. His boss was elected to govern and not to clamp down on peaceful protesters who were only showing their displeasure in the way they have been governed since this government took office in 2015.
“No amount of intimidation will silence the determination of a people that have been impoverished by a government that promised so much and failed abysmally to deliver on its pledges.”
