You’re a beneficiary of Protests – Former PDP National Chairman, Secondus challenges President Tinubu, says peaceful protest civic duty

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President Tinubu

By Alphonsus Nweze, Onitsha

The former National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP), Prince Uche Secondus, has added his voice in support of the planned #EndBadGovernance in Nigeria protest reminding the President that he was a beneficiary of protests.

Secondus recalled that President Tinubu while in opposition was notable arrowhead of protests against the government of Goodluck Jonathan wondering why he should be against it this time just because he is in the saddle.

Prince Secondus harped on the need for civic action to save Nigeria from collapse in the face of an unprecedented economic crisis and insecurity occasioned by perennial bad governance by successive governments at all tiers of government.

The former PDP leader in a statement in Abuja, Tuesday, signed by his Media Adviser, Ike Abonyi, argued that the state of anomie where “we find ourselves today as a country incrementally worsened because the citizens failed in their duty to hold governments at all levels accountable.”

He asserted that this has been the case because political leaders often use partisan, ethnic and religious sentiments to either discourage protests when they are in government or encourage them when they are in opposition.

According to the former PDP boss, the planned protest “is a non-partisan pan-Nigerian and altruistic engagement of the citizens aimed at addressing the malaise in our country.
“This protest should not be discouraged. Protests remain the most potent democratic platform through which the consciousness of nations can be aroused and indeed the consciousness of the leadership elite can be nudged and compelled to act right in the interest of citizens”.

Secondus contended that the injunction in the Holy Bible which says: “You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free” applies to our situation as Nigerians. In essence, this is not the time to sweep issues under the carpet; it is the time to speak truth to power and awaken our collective consciences so that we can work together to build a better society”.

He therefore called on all protesters to be organized, and peaceful and shun all acts of violence.
Former PDP boss also said governments at all levels and security agencies should provide the necessary security environment to ensure peace and order by international law and the Nigerian Constitution.