Some Nigerians on Wednesday staged a protest outside the Federal High Court in Abuja, chanting “Tinubu Must Go” and “Hunger dey” as the African Action Congress (ACC), presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, awaited proceedings in his case involving President Bola Tinubu’s electoral records.
A video of the demonstration shared by Sowore on X showed protesters gathered at the entrance of the court, chanting slogans against Tinubu’s administration and expressing dissatisfaction with the country’s economic situation.
In the post accompanying the video, Sowore said the protest began as he awaited the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to produce documents relating to Tinubu’s electoral history.
“Waiting for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to produce Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s electoral records before the Federal High Court in Abuja, while #TinubuMustGo rallies have already commenced at the front gate of the court today!” he wrote.
The demonstration coincided with the scheduled continuation of Sowore’s criminal trial, during which his defence team had secured a subpoena compelling the INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, to produce specified electoral documents submitted by Tinubu.
Politics Nigeria reports that the subpoena, issued by Justice Mohammed Garba Umar, directed Amupitan to produce Tinubu’s Form CF001, including an affidavit concerning lost certificates submitted during his 1999 Lagos State governorship candidacy.
The commission was also directed to produce the Form CF001 Tinubu submitted for the 2023 presidential election.
Meanwhile, the protest comes amid growing political disagreements over the state of the economy, particularly concerns about hunger and the rising cost of living.
However, an All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain and member of the party’s Presidential Campaign Council, Alwan Hassan, recently dismissed claims of widespread hunger, describing them as opposition rhetoric intended to score political points ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Tuesday, Hassan rejected the opposition’s portrayal of the 2027 presidential election as a contest between Tinubu and hungry Nigerians.
“That is an opposition rhetoric. People are not that hungry,” he said.
When asked whether Nigerians experiencing economic hardship would agree with his position, Hassan maintained that he understood the situation because he lived in the country.
“I’m telling you, I live in Nigeria,” he added.
He further argued that declining food prices in some markets indicated that the Federal Government’s policies were beginning to produce results. He also claimed that farmers were complaining about falling prices of agricultural produce.
“People are not that hungry the way the opposition are portraying it. And I’ll say it anywhere. People are not that hungry.
“In fact, farmers are complaining because foodstuffs are down in the market. Why? Because this government is importing and reducing the prices,” Hassan said.
However, when questioned about whether dependence on food imports reflected positively on the government’s agricultural performance, the APC chieftain acknowledged that Nigeria could not produce enough food to meet domestic demand.
“We cannot feed ourselves. No, but while we do things to now cover up on the gaps, well, in the meantime, we must import,” he said.
Hassan’s remarks came days after the Director-General of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, Abdulaziz Yari, also dismissed concerns about widespread hunger in the country.
COURTESY: PoliticsNigeria
