Why Revolutionary Now Protest Failed As Sowore Made A Bold Statement With His Group

By  Elizabeth Chukwuma

 Yusuf Bichi Magazie , Director general, Department of State Security, DSS, and the Mohammed Adamu, the Inspector General of , Police, IGP, appear to have laid the foundation  for the Revolutionary Protest  Now planned protest on Monday, August 5, 2019, to fail in the country.

The protest which may have planned to follow the footstep of the Organisers of the protest in the Asian country of n Hon Kong and South American country of  Puerto Rico Sudan and Algeria, which  may not   have been meant  to force a violent removal of their Presidents for bad governance  by the Military as it happened it Sudan or Algeria.

The intention of the Organisers may have been  to force the   President Muhammadu Buhari led All Progressive Congress, APC, government to change his  way of governance to reduce the suffering of the people which had been on for the past four years. Yusuf Birchi Magazi, the Director General, Department of State Security, dss, and Mohammed Adamu, the Inspector General of Police, IGP ,may have read meaning into the planned protest as  a threat to the security of the station and quickly devised  strategies  to forestall it from taking place to prove to the Katsina born Nigerian President that they are doing their work.

Anti-riot Policemen In Action

 The duo may have been encouraged to mobilise their men for action when they saw a  video clip of the  meeting of the Omoyele Sowore , a former Presidential Candidate of African Action Congress,  AAC in the last general election and who incidentally is the publisher of Sahara Reporters, a on  line, Publication based in New York, United States, and his group, Revolution Now, other leaders,  appealing to Nigerians to come out in mass to participate  in the planned protest .

 The video clip alleged to have gone viral may  have prepared the mind of the duo at the instance of the Presidency to go g back to  the drawing board to avoid the Sudanese  or Algerian experience repeating itself in Nigeria.

 As a prelude to forestall the Organisers of the protest from going  ahead with their plan, a  combined team of the DSS and the Police had raided Sowore at mid  night and whisked  him away. Other prominent leaders of the group were also said to have been arrested and detained  at various locations in the country. The group was therefore left without a leader to direct them on what to do.

 The Directors of the DSS  and the Commissioners of Police in the states on the orders of their Heads at Abuja , may not have helped matters as they quickly  deployed fierce-looking officers armed to the teeth  at strategic locations in the states to disperse   protesters who may have heeded to the Revolutionary Now leaders call.

 In spite of the DSS and police efforts to forestall the protest,  it was a partial success in Lagos state,  home state of Ahmed Bola Tinubu , a former governor of the state and APC , National leader. The situation in Lagos was not different from Ogun state, a flashpoint of political radicalism in Nigeria.  The protesters who were said to have gathered at the National stadium, to be addressed by the state leaders of the group , preparatory for the last Monday protest  were said to have been dispersed  by trigger hungry security operatives  as a number of protesters were said to have been arrested  including a Journalist and taken to police Custody.  The Lagos state leaders of Revolution Now were forced to change to another ;location to continue their demonstration where they were said to have promised to continue the demonstration the next day until the government change  their style of governance.

The situation was more worrisome in Ogun state  where  the police and other security agencies personnel were said to have exhibited  brutal force in major streets at Abeokuta , the Capital, to frustrate the people from coming out to join the protesters who were already gathering  at strategic locations. Abimbola Oyeyemi, the Spokesperson of the state police Command who justified the police action sid they would not sit-by and watch the state being thrown into confussion.

Eyewitness account said  there was heavy security in Ilorin, the Kwarra state Capital, to forestall the protesters from going ahead with their protest  plot. The protest which was scheduled to hold  at Unity Fountain ground at Abuja which could have been addressed by Sowore , their leader was stopped by the police  at the instance of the IGP. Some of the Abuja based protesters were said to have defiled the police Order to go hime  to find their way to  the front of  the National Human Right Commission, NHRC, office  to stage the protest.  Ariyo Dare and other leaders of the group in Abuja, were said to have  submitted a letter  and petition  to protest the detention  of Sowore, their leader to the Commission. The protest was a complete failure in the north as there was no sign  of Revolution Now activities in the  19 states that make up northern Nigeria,

This may have informed why the Presidency had commended those who could not heed to the Sowore call for the nation-wide protest against  alleged bad governance.   Garba  Shehu, senior Special Assistant to the President  on Media and Publicity ,confirmed that ‘’millions of Nigerians  went about  their  businesses: work, seeking employment, attending school, College  and carig for their families’’.

He may have given  the impression that  that refusal of  many people from different parts of the country to embark on the protest  had made  a bold Statement  that  the country  hard earned democracy  could not be easily be  wished  away  to satisfy  selfish interests.  The  Presidential Spokesperson said the President was  humbled by the  support which Nigerians had given to him in this trying period.    

But Kasim Afegbua,  spokesperson of the  Peoples Democratic Party, PDP,  Presidential  Campaign Organisation in the last general election  noted that the DSS and Adamu led Nigerian Police Force, NPF, may not have stressed  themselves  with these troubles  of planning  how  to forestall a planned protest in the country  if the APC,  had changed their style of governance.  Afegbua stressed that  if the party which replaced the PDP, at the Federal level ‘’ can govern  the  nation  well,  Nigerians would not be agitating’’.   He cited the blueprint  of the group  which had had exposed the failures of the government  in certain critical areas of the economy , both  politics  and welfare of the people which for the Buhari led government to change for good.  The Edo state born politician said the Revolution Now protest has sent a signal  to the APC  that Nigerians are not ready to tolerate bad governance  from their leaders any longer. 

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