Hashim: People’s Right to Protest Sacrosanct, Constitutional

Deji Elumoye in Abuja

A chieftain of the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC), Mr. Gbenga Hashim has argued that the right to protest by any group of Nigerians or individuals concerning any situation is an essential part of citizens freedom of expression.
This, he said, is provided for in the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (As amended) in so far as such rights are expressed peacefully without infringing on the rights of others.
Hashim in a release issued on Sunday, maintained that there “are legitimate grounds for Nigerians to protest the prevailing economic situation and myriad of challenges not currently satisfactorily addressed, Nigerians did protest in robust manners even under military rule.”
According to him: “What Government needs to do is to address the issues with utmost sincerity it is time for an honest introspection.”
The former presidential candidate, however, submitted that “any group of people allegedly plotting regime change under the cover of protest would be engaged in treason and where credible evidence exists would be answerable to law.
“We are a democracy one that some of us sufferd dearly to establish. Though our democracy may be slow to produce positive results for our people, we must resist the temptation and seduction of unconstitutional change which in our immediate past has produced horrible out comes.”
He, therefore, called on Nigerians to “let us work instead harder to make our democracy produce more positive results”.