They noted that the President ought to have addressed the nation weeks ago but failed to do that, a development that escalated the crisis facing the country.
The Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) has weighed in the ongoing #Endbadgovernance protests in the country.
The coalition lambasted the President, Bola Tinubu, over his approach to the issues being protested against.
They condemned what is termed President Tinubu’s “woeful leadership style” which it blamed on the current crises ravaging the country.
CUPP communicated this in a statement signed its spokesperson, Comrade Mark Adebayo.
The group said: “In the buildup to the nationwide hunger protests, the president didn’t deem it fit to address Nigerians directly but chose to allow his spokesmen and other government officials to insult the sensibilities of Nigerians by making provocative statements that further escalated the people’s anger.”
They noted that the President ought to have addressed the nation weeks ago but failed to do that, a development that escalated the crisis facing the country.
“A proactive president would have demonstrated leadership weeks ago by directly addressing the nation and give some concessions that would have staved off or minimized the mass protests.”
They expressed concerns that the President chose to approach the issues with less concern, locking down "the already sick economy of the country."
“But he chose to engage in ‘sidon-look’ and ‘I-don’t-care’ attitude towards the whole thing. His leadership style has thrown the whole country into the current bloody crises that have functionally locked down the country’s already sick economy and social life.”
“If President Tinubu had shown leadership by talking to Nigerians and taking necessary actions by holding dialogue with organisers of the protests and other critical stakeholders in the country, including the opposition, most of the deaths and destructions witnessed on just Day 1 of the protests would have been averted or significantly ameliorated."
They stated that the people had a right to be angry and their anger was well justified.
“The people are justifiably angry because Nigerians are hungry. To worsen the matter, irresponsible statements like they would be feasting while Nigerians protested were being recklessly made by high profile people in the APC government like Senate President, Godswill Akpabio and others.”
The CUPP also stated that President Tinubu should be held responsible for all deaths recorded during the protests.
“We condemn, in strong terms, the attitude of taking Nigerians for granted by this administration and the lack of capacity to govern well so far demonstrated by the Tinubu administration since its inception last year. We hold the Federal Government responsible for all deaths and destruction of properties being witnessed in these nationwide protests against hunger and bad governance.”
“The government had ample time to forestall this violence but refused to take any meaningful actions to engage Nigerians and resolve the crisis even before it started.”
The statement urged the security operatives to exercise restraints in dealing with protesters
“We urge the security agencies to exercise utmost restraints in their encounter with protesters. We equally call on Nigerians to avoid looting and all forms of criminality in the course of these protests. Nothing must be done to undermine our democracy as a nation.” the statement noted
The #Endbadgovernance protest which commenced on August 1, has continued to gain momentum throughout the country. Pockets of violence have however been recorded with hoodlums allegedly sponsored blamed for the developments.