Tinubu’s Adviser Warns Against Planned Nationwide Protest

Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, has cautioned organizers of a planned nationwide protest to be mindful of potential unforeseen consequences. Onanuga had earlier accused supporters of Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, of orchestrating the protest.

While acknowledging the democratic right to protest, Onanuga expressed concerns about the possibility of the protest being hijacked by troublemakers. He reiterated his stance during a phone interview with Sunday Vanguard, emphasizing that the protest’s organizers are Labour Party members and Peter Obi supporters.

“My post is just to highlight that the people who are organizing this so-called nationwide protest are members of the Labour Party, they are Peter Obi supporters, so that’s my own take of it, it’s my own opinion so I am not going to say more than this,” Onanuga stated.

Addressing comments from activist and former presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore, who defended the right to protest, Onanuga maintained that his primary concern was the potential for the protest to spiral out of control, similar to the EndSars protests.

“So, nobody is saying you must not protest, protest is legitimate in a democracy. The concern of people is that when you start a protest and it is not well managed, the end cannot be predicted just like people could not predict the end of EndSars,” he explained.

Onanuga also questioned the rhetoric of “revolution now” used by some protest organizers, suggesting that such language implies a call for a coup d’etat. He urged those behind the protest to consider the implications of their actions carefully.

When asked if he had evidence linking Peter Obi’s supporters to the protest, Onanuga replied, “Check their handles and see what they are posting, just follow what they have been posting. What I did was to do content analysis of what these people are posting as a journalist.”