Presidency accuses PDP of planning protest against service chiefs

The Presidency has raised an alarm that about 2000 men and women had been hired by the opposition to protest against the heads of military institutions on Monday.

Presidential media aide, Garba Shehu, in a statement titled “Politicization of Security Will Not Be of Benefit to Anyone”, warned political class against misleading the public by inciting protests against the service chiefs.

Shehu said a group of politicians and beneficiaries of the Boko Haram insurgency is right now paying for people to join their planned protest against the country’s service chiefs, stressing that they will no doubt seek the media’s collaboration on this as usual.

He urged the media to remain unbiased and discerning in their reporting, instead of becoming unwitting tools in the hands of the opposition.

The Presidency said the opposition was behind the promotion of a video clip showing the displeasure of a hired few during President Muhammadu Buhari’s sympathy visit to Maiduguri, the Borno State capital on Wednesday in order to embarrass him.

Part of the statement read, “The Presidency wishes to caution a section of the political class against misleading the public and inciting protests against the heads of military institutions.

“This has become necessary in view of received reports that about two thousand men and women have been hired to demonstrate against Nigeria’s service chiefs on Monday.

“This imminent gathering is the latest in a series of demonstrations orchestrated by the opposition to embarrass the government of President Muhammadu Buhari.

“As part of this overall scheme, the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, with its belligerent politics, has been marching from one embassy to the other in protest against the Buhari administration and the nation’s highest court of justice, the Supreme Court.

‘They are keen to give the impression that Nigerians are in support of them as they take to the streets, and they will go to any length to promote this false narrative.

“The recent incident in Maiduguri, Borno State, where an overwhelmingly cheering crowd gathered to welcome President Buhari, while a handful were recorded booing him, is a part this elaborate scheme. It is misleading, as some analysts have tried to do, to read this as verdict against President Buhari, who emerged winner with 94 per cent of the votes cast in the Presidential election in the state in February last year.

“This was clearly a hired few, but the news was promoted by the opposition who had of course positioned themselves to record the booing – all just to embarrass the President.

“But there is news and there is promoted content – two very different things, one of which should never make the headlines as these recent fake protests have done.”