The All Progressives Congress (APC) has called on its members to resist the temptation to join the planned protest against bad governance in the country.
This is just as the ruling party said in line with its Constitutional obligation, the APC-led government would not fold its hands to allow anyone in the guise of protest to unleash mayhem on citizens.
APC national publicity secretary, Felix Morka and the national secretary, Senator Ajibola Basiru, stated this while briefing journalists at the end of a meeting of party’s National Working Committee and state chairmen in Abuja on Friday night.
Morka said the planned protest had no immediate justifiable basis, hence those behind it had been unwilling to identify themselves and come forward to present their demands.
He said the party leadership resolved that; the primary duty of the government is the protection of lives and property of the people.
“It is the duty of government to keep even the protesters safe and government will do all it can do within the ambit of the law to ensure that the lives and properties of Nigerians during these protests are protected.
“The government today is doing everything that we can and willing to do more to address the concerns Nigerians have. We also identified with all of the sections of our polity, from labour to the student unions, the leaders of faith to all of the eminent Nigerians who come out to say that this protest has failed.
“So, as a party we are calling on our members across the country to stand firm and we call on all our members to resist the temptation to join this protest.
This protest could be misdirected by someone faceless people to cause chaos in the country.”
On his part, the APC scribe said what the intended protesters were demanding which was to end bad governance was beyond protest but a revolution which comes with violence, saying the government would not allow violence to be visited on the country and her citizens.
“Beyond the general statements discussed, the National Working Committee in the meeting with the State APC Chairmen also got to check what was pushed out by the so-called organisers of the protest. One, we were shocked that the title of the protest is called #EndBadGovernance. It signals that you are not protesting but want to carry out a revolution.
“Revolution is not something you use protests for, and where such occurs, it comes with immense violence. This is not a time when our country will require violence and disruption of the efforts done by the President and the administration. So we want to urge Nigerians to be alive to the fact that the government will not be in a position to sit and allow violence to be meted on helpless citizens of the country,” he said.