Tinubu to protesters: You have right to protest, vote against APC in 2019

As anti-government protest rocked many parts of Nigeria on Monday, some of the #IStandwithNigeria protesters who were mostly youth stormed the residence of the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.

The protesters bearing placards were led to the Bourdillon residence of the APC leader and former Governor of Lagos State in Ikoyi, demanding to see the APC leader.

According to a video of the peaceful protest posted online by Moremi Ojudu, daughter of the political adviser to the President, Senator Babafemi Ojudu, the protesters attempted to deliver a letter to the APC leader but nobody attended to them.

The video showed the police men attached to the APC leader’s residence shouting at the protesters to vacate but they stood their ground insisting that they must deliver the letter to the APC leader.

One of the protesters was heard in the video saying, “Let somebody receive the letter, we just want somebody to attend to us and we will go”.

Another protester said, “We want Asiwaju’s PA to come and pick this letter. This is a letter that concerns Nigerians’ agitation, Nigerians’ hunger, Nigerians’ pains. We refuse to say no. Now we are begging them to receive our letter”.

In the middle of the confrontation between the security agents and the protesters, Tinubu’s convoy sauntered in and eventually the APC leader addressed the protesters, asking them for patience as government works tirelessly to resolve the current challenges.

“What we are going through now would be resolved. We are going through historical phase that is promising and holding a promise for you. There is a leadership on the land and you have to live with that for now, protest won’t solve the problems, will it?” he said.

Tinubu stated that the protesters have the right to protest or even vote against APC in the next election but he assured that the current challenges would be addressed but not with protest.

The protesters interrupted, asking what would solve the problems and he retorted by saying, “The problem is re-planning, being responsive, being able to get engaged to with you so that you would see the problems we are facing, that is it”.

You have your right to vote against us during election if you want but I remain in the party because we will re-tool this party, we will re-tool this government. A damage of over 60 years and 16 years of mis-governance cannot be turned around overnight. Let’s be patient, let’s have the understanding, let’s hang on to hope”