Activist Aisha Yesufu, a well-known supporter of Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate Peter Obi, has criticised Obi for his recent remarks about the 2012 Occupy Nigeria protests, which were against the removal of fuel subsidy during former President Goodluck Jonathan’s time.
In a YouTube video posted on Thursday, Yesufu disagreed with Obi’s view that there was no reason for mass protests when fuel prices rose from ₦87 to ₦120 under Jonathan’s administration.
“First of all, I’m going to start with where Mr Peter Obi said there was no need to protest during Jonathan’s time. I think that’s a very wrong allusion… like there’s no need to protest,” Yesufu said.
She stressed that protests are an important part of democracy, no matter who is in power.
“People are protesting every day in countries that are doing very well. There’s never a time where there’s no need to protest,” she added.
Yesufu also warned that if Obi expects a future as president without protests, he needs to think again.
“If Mr Obi thinks he’s gonna get into office and think people will not protest no matter how good he is, then he should drop that,” she said.
The activist further defended the protests that happened during Jonathan’s presidency. She explained that people always react to their present situation and not what will happen in the future.
Her words: “At that time, people were protesting against ₦120. The ₦900 of today was in the future. Nobody protests for the future.
“If there was any time a protest should have happened, it was during Jonathan.”
