#EndBadGovernance Organizers Prepare for ‘Fearless in October’ Protests

Organisers of the just concluded #EndBadGovernanceinNigeria protest held nationwide from August 1 to 10, 2024, are planning to stage another protest in October.

The Director of Mobilisation of the Take It Back Movement, Damilare Adenola, who disclosed this yesterday, said the protesters’ demands would remain the same unless there were other issues, requiring them to add more.

He said: “Yes. It is called the ‘Fearless in October Protest’. Our charter of demands stands as same. We will add more as the country decays further.”

Recall that youths across the country had staged the #EndBadGovernance protests nationwide, including the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, despite efforts by government officials to stop the protests.

The protesters had days before the protests, submitted a list of demands, asking the government to, among others, scrap the Senate arm of the National Assembly and make lawmaking a part-time job for the House of Representatives.

They also asked the government to pay workers a minimum of N250,000, reverse fuel prices and the cost of electricity tariffs to pre-January 2023, and release and compensate all #EndSARS and political detainees.

On whether the protesters would heed court orders from state governments requiring them to hold demonstrations at designated points, Adenola said “we won’t accept the compliance.”

Similarly, an activist and human rights lawyer, Deji Adeyanju, said efforts were currently being directed towards ensuring the release of protesters who had been arrested during the previous protests.

“All efforts are being directed towards securing the release of those that have been arrested,” Adeyanju said.

Recall that hundreds of those arrested during the last protests were to appear in court yesterday in Abuja but had their appearance shifted to today.

This is against the backdrop of calls by organisers of the protests that they be released unconditionally.

LEADERS of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Edo South Senatorial district, yesterday, met in Benin City to plot and adopt strategies with which they would ensure that the party wins the September 21 governorship election in the senatorial district.

Edo South is the largest senatorial district in Edo, controlling about 52 per cent of the registered voters in the state. As things stand, the zone will be the battleground for the election.

At the meeting, the leaders said they have identified the reasons for Labour Party, LP’s shocking performance during the 2023 presidential election and have been tackling it as explained by the chairman of the Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Area, Eric Osayande, and therefore such scenario would not happen again.

Leaders in the parley which was tagged Edo South Strategic Leadership meeting included Owere Dickson Imasogie, Chris Agbonmwanegbe, Dr Joan Oviawe, Professor Dennis Agbonlahor, the Senatorial Woman Leader, and Mrs Pat West-Erhabor among others. They said the candidate of the party, Dr Asue Ighodalo and his running mate, Osarodion Ogie were sellable candidates that would make them win the election.

They also agreed that there must not be division in the party as there is no Legacy Group or whatever other group but one PDP.

Speaking to journalists shortly after the meeting, West-Erhabor said: “We have agreed that we are going to take the elections back to the units because that is where elections are won and lost. Everybody must go back to the units and start the mobilization from there so that at the end of the day, we will be able to win this election because without winning the units, winning the election will be very difficult.”

Also, Dr Larry Ogieva said: “We have come to strategise and from what we have seen here, there is unity of purpose among PDP members in Edo South Senatorial District, we are more resolute, determined and focused, and be assured that come September 21 PDP will win the election. We are tired of hunger, poverty, starvation, fuel unaffordability, inability to afford common needs being pushed down on the people by the APC led federal government.”

On his part, the Senatorial Leader of the party, Dickson Imasogie said: “We are very confident that we have a sellable candidate, we are mandating every local government to work, anyone that returns 70 per cent will be regarded as a failure.”

In like manner, Richard Edebiri, the Special Adviser to Governor Obaseki on Politics (Orhionmwon), said: “The message was very clear, we all know that the party is very poised and ready for the election and we can’t tolerate mediocrity in government and we have unanimously come together and we have a very good candidate and he is prepared and have a good track record and he is planning to take Edo to an enviable height, we must reach out to the people to mobilise them and go back to the grassroots to mobilise our members.”