In the wake of a revelation linking #EndSARS protests to the former vice president of Nigeria, Atiku Abubakar, a PDP stalwart and Atiku’s spokesman, Segun Showunmi has issued a strong warning to the Nigerian president and his ‘minions’.
Recall that some prominent protesters were alleged to be Atiku’s instruments in the protests that almost brought the country as a whole on its knee. The individuals were Modupe Odele, Rinu Oduala and Debo Adebayo, popularly called Mr Macaroni.
The trio are at the forefront of the #EndSARS protest aimed at ending police brutality, excesses of operatives of special anti-robbery squad (SARS) and demanding leadership accountability from politicians.
In a Twitter thread on Sunday, one David Abdulrazak Atta shared screenshots of past tweets made by the three individuals wherein they could be seen expressing their support or interest for Atiku.
And without investigation, Atta also accompanied his posts with terse comments wherein he questioned the credibility of the activists who claim to be championing the cause for good governance in the country.
In an article titled #EndSARS: A warning to Buhari’s handlers – Atiku will Accept Animadversion not Cyberbullying, Showunmi advised President Mohammadu Buhari desist for cyberbullying Atiku and call his ‘foot soldiers’ to order.
“I wonder what is to be gained in responding to a sinking government and its minions on Twitter who are obviously moving against the run of play.
“That Atiku Abubakar’s name is associated with everything in Nigeria at this time is fantastic. We must not for fear of Buhari allow ourselves to be bullied. Waziri Atiku Abubakar will not walk on eggshells in a country he has served in numerous capacities, both as a public servant and a political leader, sacrificing so much to build a pan-Nigerian acceptability across tribe, gender, religion and generational divides,” he said.
The vice president’s spokesman noted that Atiku’s achievements were as a result of carefully laid out paths for the good of the country.
“These did not come by happenstance; they are primed on a vision that indeed, our country must and should work for all and that a leader must strive to be a leader for all. In all the politics of Atiku Abubakar, even the strongest of his detractors would agree that he is never garrulous, bitter, vindictive or destructively violent. He has never been.
“That he has borne so much with the dignity of a statesman cannot be contested; but let it be said loudly and clearly that he will not be made to walk on eggshells in this country.”
Showunmi believed that the government and its ‘minions’ should be more focused on meeting the demands of the restless youths who seemed to have woken and demanding accountability from it instead of chasing shadows.
“At a time where all opinion leaders are soberly thinking of how to douse the somewhat lingering tension and reassure the youths of Nigeria that tomorrow holds a better promise, those with the responsibility of solving today’s challenges are in their characteristic manner looking for enemies where none exists.
“A Nigerian problem of the gravity of the violence that has left all agape must not be reduced to political rabble-rousing of the hangers-on of Buhari. Doing otherwise would be spitting on the graves of the victims. No worthy patriot would engage in that at this time.
“When we campaigned in the last election, we were very clear that one of the main issues before Nigerians, based on well-researched evidence, was the quadruple issues of very high unemployment, a greatly divided country, an urgent need to open up more opportunities for prosperity, and of course, an unacceptably high dose of insecurity,” he wrote.
Showunmi claimed that his principal has never sought power through the backdoor as did by Buhari, who used the cover of past protests like Bring Back our Girls, Enough is Enough and others to incite in order to win election back in 2015.
“Humanity must continuously strive to achieve a mindset of good over evil, and moderation in tone of narrative for we have seen what angry narratives can do and we all must do all within our means to avoid anything that can make a fluid situation combust.
“I suppose it is fair to say that we are not like you guys. We don’t jump in front of citizen advocacy and protest like you all did with Bring Back our Girls, Enough is Enough and the numerous other protests you all funded, energised and actively participated in before the 2015 election circle.
“The truth is that the then leader of the country was and remains an excellent example in democratic behaviour. The same cannot be said of you and your group. You cannot handle a protest of that nature; you react with high-handedness to everything. For you, every problem is a nail, as such, the only solution you know is a hammer.”
The PDP stalwart then lectured the president and its allies on governance and leadership, saying healing the country should be paramount to him at the moment.
“At this time, a worthy leader in his final term would be healing the country and bringing everybody to the table to discuss the future, but no, not you and your irritating paid agents.
“Look, the issues that young Nigerians are agitating for are not the types that go away. Truth be told, they are things we all see, and shamefully it has taken young Nigerians to force the issue. We must make good currency of it by embarking on the necessary reforms in the true sense of the word, not chasing shadows, looking for those to blame. And if you must blame, please do not blame Atiku Abubakar. He has held himself up better than Buhari when the roles were reversed!” he concluded.
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