Opposition parties sponsoring protests against Tinubu administration, APC alleges

Nigeria’s ruling party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), has claimed that the protests held in some cities in thcountry on Monday were sponsored by the opposition parties to portray the government as “under-performing.”

The spokesperson of the ruling party, Felix Morka, in a statement on Tuesday, said the protests that happened in Niger and Kano states were instigated by the opposition.

Mr Morka did not provide any evidence to back his claim and did not mention the specific opposition parties behind the plot.

“In its arrant desperation to portray the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led administration as under-performing, opposition parties have resorted to instigating unsuspecting young people to protests in the streets of some major cities.

“The protests in Minna and Kano on Monday were the manifestation of this devious and unpatriotic plot. That the protests happened simultaneously in both cities is not coincidental,” Mr Morka stated.

PREMIUM TIMES reported that people trooped out in large numbers in Minna to protest the hardship in Nigeria caused by the rising cost of living occasioned by the downturn of the economy.

The economic reforms embarked on by President Bola Tinubu have triggered some negative economic impacts.

Mr Morka also acknowledged the pains caused by the ongoing reforms and its unintended consequences but still insisted that the protests had the “stamp of the opposition parties.”

“The President Bola Tinubu-led administration is solidly committed to doing everything in its power to mitigate the transient pains of critically important reforms that are crucial to economic recovery and sustainable prosperity for all Nigerians.

“It behoves us as good citizens of our beloved country to stand fast with our government in this noble stride. In due time, these policy reforms will yield an enduring beneficial transformation of the material conditions of life in the country.

“We implore Nigerians to shun the guile and unpatriotic attempt by opposition elements to destabilize the country for their own base and parochial political gains,” the statement reads in part.

Earlier, the House of Representatives held a special plenary session with the Central Bank Governor, Yemi Cardoso, Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Wale Edun, the Minister of Budget and National Planning, Atiku Bagudu and the Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service, Zacch Adedeji.

Several lawmakers within the ruling party also raised concerns about the impact of the ongoing reforms on the citizens. However, the party is blaming opposition parties for the protests.