Planned protest a coup against Tinubu’s government, says Fayose

Ayodele Fayose, former governor of Ekiti, says the impending protest should be regarded as a “coup” against the President Bola Tinubu administration.

Speaking in an interview with Channels Television on Monday, Fayose said no government will allow a protest to be used as an opportunity for military intervention.

The nationwide protest over the economic hardship in the country has been slated for the first week of August.

The federal government and President Tinubu have appealed to the organisers to shelve the demonstrations.

Speaking on the development, the former Ekiti governor said the protest has been politicised.

Fayose said the protesters must consider the implications of their actions.

“People can go to the streets but don’t let people who can hijack this protest turn it to a situation where people will now imagine that you want to take government from Asiwaju (Tinubu),” Fayose said.

“The perception now is that it is a coup. It is a coup. That is the perception everywhere, they are giving an impression that they want to use this protest for military to come in.

“There is no government that will allow them to topple his own government. It is good that Asiwaju has admitted that protest is good but people protesting should remember the consequences.”

The former governor said Tinubu’s administration cannot be assessed in a year, adding that Nigeria is a difficult country to govern.

He added that those saying “they want to bring down the government” should be taken seriously.