T he 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has strongly criticized former Osun State Governor, Bisi Akande, over his controversial assertion that the 2020 #EndSARS protests were orchestrated by Obi’s supporters, popularly known as the Obidient Movement, to derail the presidential aspirations of Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Obi, alongside members of the Obidient Movement, has dismissed Akande’s claims as an attempt to distort historical facts, branding the statement as both misleading and insensitive to the memory of #EndSARS victims, particularly those who lost their lives during the protests.
The #EndSARS demonstrations, which erupted nationwide between October 7 and 20, 2020, were initially fueled by demands for the disbandment of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), a police unit notorious for human rights violations. However, the protests quickly evolved into a larger movement advocating for comprehensive governance reforms. Tensions escalated, leading to violent confrontations between security forces and protesters, most notably at the Lekki Tollgate in Lagos, where soldiers allegedly opened fire on unarmed demonstrators.
In a recent podcast hosted by renowned broadcaster Edmund Obilo, Akande alleged that the protests were a calculated effort by Obidients to prevent Tinubu’s rise to power, further claiming that the movement was heavily funded through foreign donations.
“The Obidients were behind #EndSARS. It was manufactured in America and brought in just to stop him (Tinubu). I said the Obidients, not Obi himself,” Akande declared. “They came from America to do the #EndSARS and later attempted to form a political party. It was well planned and organized, with a lot of money from America.”
Reacting to these allegations, Obi’s media aide, Umar Ibrahim, denounced Akande’s statements as baseless and divisive, emphasizing that the #EndSARS protests were a genuine uprising against police brutality, not a political scheme.
“These allegations are not only misleading but also dangerously polarizing,” Ibrahim stated. “It is unfortunate that Akande would attempt to rewrite history by suggesting that the Obidient Movement was behind #EndSARS, and even more astonishing to imply that it was orchestrated to prevent a specific individual from becoming president.”
Ibrahim underscored that the Obidient Movement is a grassroots-driven initiative that emerged organically, powered by Nigerians passionate about good governance and accountability. He stressed that equating the movement with the #EndSARS protests is both inaccurate and unfair to the millions of citizens who took to the streets to demand justice and reform.
“The #EndSARS protests were a spontaneous response to years of systemic oppression, police brutality, and economic disparity. To conflate these two distinct movements is a gross misrepresentation that does a disservice to the courage of Nigerian youth who stood against injustice,” he added.
Similarly, the National Coordinator of the Obidient Movement Worldwide, Tanko Yunusa, condemned Akande’s remarks, describing them as an affront to the memories of those who lost their lives in the struggle for justice.
“The Obidient Movement outrightly rejects the false and revisionist claims made by Bisi Akande,” Yunusa stated. “His attempt to rewrite history is not only an insult to the memory of those who died during #EndSARS but also a desperate effort to deflect from the real failures of leadership in Nigeria.”
Yunusa reaffirmed that #EndSARS was a decentralized, youth-led movement aimed at ending police brutality and systemic oppression, with no political agenda or affiliation to any presidential bid.
“Rather than distorting history to serve political interests, we urge Akande and other leaders to focus on addressing the pressing challenges facing Nigerians today—economic hardship, insecurity, unemployment, and governance failures,” he asserted. “The people are suffering, and no amount of misinformation will change that reality.”
0 Comments