Group Alleges Fake Protesters Plan to Storm APC Secretariat against Abiodun

James Sowole in Abeokuta

A group, Grassroots Democratic initiatives (GDI), has alerted the Nigerian public to what it called a sinister plot by disgruntled elements parading themselves as human rights activists to protest against the Governor of Ogun State, Prince Dapo Abiodun, at the National Secretariat of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Abuja.

The alleged sinister plan was revealed in a statement signed by the group National Coordinator, Oluwafemi Johnson.

The group said intelligence reports at its disposal indicated that the protest, which was initially planned for May 2, 2022, has now been shifted to May 4, 2022, adding that some fake activists have been mobilised for such purpose.

According to the statement, the plan is to present a petition against the governor to the APC National Chairman, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, to demand that he (Abiodun) should not be allowed to contest the 2023 governorship election.

Johnson said: “The recourse to the use of faceless activists to protest against the governor is another strategy being employed by Abiodun’s political adversaries, which is in consonance with their plan to disparage and de-market him in continuation of their avowed commitment to stop him from having a second term.

“This sinister plan has been allegedly traced to Abiodun’s predecessor in office and a serving senator. Why is this senator so desperate and bent on disparaging Prince Abiodun by casting aspersions on his character and integrity?

“We see the recourse to this tactic as a ploy by the man to rescue himself from political oblivion.  It has also exposed his political irrelevance in the state.”

 The statement added that the governor’s adversary had come to the realisation that the party structure under him had collapsed irretrievably, “as his camp of followers had been dumping him in droves and moving to the authentic APC in Ogun State to reconcile with the governor, so this has made him a fish out of the water in the ruling party.”

It said the performance of Abiodun in the last three years had dwarfed his predecessors’ eight years in power, hence the determination to pull down the governor by all means-fair or foul.

Besides, GDI said it had learnt authoritatively that the senator had induced social media miscreants alongside the fake activists to cast aspersion on the governor by spreading fake news and falsehood.

The group noted that: “Abiodun remains unperturbed and focused. These nefarious activities and that of his likes have been exposed and they will fail. We are alerting security agencies and the public to be wary of the sponsored group and the planned protest.

“We believe that the performance of Governor Abiodun will speak for him.”

 The statement concluded that “Abiodun’s destiny is in the hands of the people of Ogun State and God Almighty, not in the hands of disgruntled serial failures.”