Former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi on Thursday strongly condemned ex-Osun State governor Bisi Akande for alleging that the 2020 #EndSARS protests were orchestrated by Obi’s supporters, the Obidient Movement, to derail Bola Tinubu’s presidential ambition.
Obi and his supporters dismissed the claims as an attempt to distort history and a blatant disregard for the memory of those who lost their lives during the protests.
The #EndSARS movement, which began as a call to end police brutality, quickly evolved into a broader demand for good governance. It culminated in the now-infamous Lekki Tollgate shooting, where soldiers allegedly opened fire on unarmed protesters.
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However, in a recent podcast with journalist Edmund Obilo, Akande asserted that the protests were part of a well-funded scheme, allegedly backed by foreign donors, to prevent Tinubu’s rise to power.
Reacting to the claims, Obi’s media aide, Umar Ibrahim, during an interview with The Punch, called Akande’s remarks “misleading and divisive,” emphasizing that the Obidient Movement is a grassroots-driven push for good governance, not a political tool for obstruction.
“The #EndSARS protests were a spontaneous response to police brutality, corruption, and economic inequality,” Ibrahim stated. “To conflate these two distinct movements is not only inaccurate but also unfair to the millions of Nigerians who are genuinely committed to positive change.”