The #EndBadGovernance protest, which began on Thursday across major Nigerian cities, is now facing internal division among its organizers.
Some leaders of the movement claim that the Federal Government has bribed certain members to weaken the protest after police and military threats failed to halt the demonstrations.
The protests, driven by widespread economic hardships and a call for better governance, have seen youths in cities like Abuja, Lagos, Kaduna, Kano, and Rivers take to the streets. However, by Friday, cracks within the organizing groups became evident. Their lawyer, Ebun Adegboruwa SAN, called for a suspension of the protests, citing violence and looting that occurred on the first day.
Adegboruwa issued a statement on Friday, stating, “Given that the protests were said to have been hijacked by sponsored agents, it is necessary to avoid further losses and casualties. The organizers of the protests and their representatives should embrace dialogue with the government.”
However, not all agreed with Adegboruwa’s stance. Omoyele Sowore, a former presidential candidate, dismissed Adegboruwa’s call, stating, “No, it is his personal opinion and he’s spoken only, based on his understanding of how the narrative was being twisted.”
The Take It Back Movement, one of the leading groups, also distanced itself from Adegboruwa. Damilare Adenola, the Director of Mobilisation, tweeted on Saturday, “Our protest extends for the next 10 days and beyond! Learned Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Adegboruwa is not our lawyer, he doesn’t speak for us! Abuja people, your comrades in the struggle are already converged at the National Stadium as we speak, join them! This fight is our fight, not their fight!”
Festus Ogun, the legal adviser to the Take It Back Movement, reinforced this position, saying, “The protest is beyond one individual; it is a movement of the people, a movement of common Nigerians. We respect his (Adegboruwa) opinion, and we respect his advice, but the issue is not about Mr. Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa; the issue is about the President, who is acting as if he can’t hear Nigerians.”
Ogun emphasized that only a national broadcast from President Bola Tinubu would convince protesters to leave the streets. He added, “If we back down at this time, it shows that we are a conquered people. The President has not spoken, he has not given us reasons to back down.”
Despite the strong resistance, some groups have chosen to support Adegboruwa’s call for suspension. Timely Intervention, another group involved in the protests, decided to withdraw due to the violence. Tunde Phillips, a member of the executive board, said, “I am just leaving the protest venue in Abuja right now, and our group has agreed to suspend the protest. It has become too violent. For instance, today, I would have been shot if not that I ran fast. Some people, I am sure, would have been injured, if not killed. The protest should be suspended.”
The Active Citizens Group also pulled out, with Adaeze Onoja, a member of the National Working Committee, explaining, “Hoodlums have hijacked the protest. We are pulling out. I just left an emergency NWC meeting and that was our decision.”
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In the North, the National Chairman of the Northern Comrades Movement of Nigeria, Jabir Yaro, accused some organizers of accepting bribes to disrupt the protest. Yaro said, “There are individuals who have been paid to disorganize this protest, and these are the people causing problems and division. The only significant thing is that our leader, Ibrahim Abdulkarim, was arrested while engaging in a peaceful protest but we are following it up.”
In Osun State, Emmanuel Olowu, the Chairman of the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights, echoed these sentiments. He claimed the government had compromised certain groups. “Before the commencement of this struggle, some people have been addressing press conferences to dissociate themselves from it. Some others have also claimed they are pulling out from the protest. These sets of people were never part of us. They are pro-government reactionaries. They have been compromised by the government against their conscience,” Olowu said.
Despite these challenges, Ogun insisted that financial inducement by the government would not stop the protests. He stated that the movement is driven by the people’s desire for change and that the struggle would continue until their voices are heard.
The division among organizers and accusations of sabotage present significant hurdles for the #EndBadGovernance protest. However, many participants remain resolute in their demands for improved governance and economic relief.