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Nigerian activist, Omoyele Sowore has shared his thoughts on the Council of State meeting presided over by President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
The former African Action Congress, (AAC) presidential candidate described the meeting as a ‘failure meeting with a failure’
Naija News reports that former presidents Goodluck Jonathan and Muhammadu Buhari were physically present at the Council of State Meeting, but ex-Military Heads of State, Yakubu Gowon and Abdulsalami Abubakar joined virtually.
Ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo neither attended physically nor joined online.
Tuesday’s Council of State meeting is the first presided over by Tinubu since assumption of office as President.
During the meeting, Tinubu got a vote of confidence from members of the Council of State, who condemned the EndBadGovernanceInNigeria against the current administration.
However, posting on X, Sowore wrote: “Failure meeting with failure.
“Today in Abuja at the Presidential Villa, a former failed President @MBuhari had a meeting with the current failed President @officialABAT.”
#EndBadGovernance Protest: Organisers To Sue FG Over Deaths Of Protesters – Sowore
Meanwhile, Sowore, has announced that the organisers of the #EndBadGovernance protests plan to take legal action against the Federal Government over the killings of protesters during the demonstrations.
Naija News reports that this decision follows the nationwide #EndBadGovernanceinNigeria protests, which started on August 1 in response to widespread economic hardships faced by Nigerians.
Protests took place in cities like Lagos, Kano, Gombe, Kaduna, Yobe, Borno, Niger, Kebbi, and Abuja, with some instances turning violent.
In an interview with The Punch, Sowore, one of the organisers, stated that the government was the first to escalate the protests into violence.
When asked about the number of protesters killed and arrested during the demonstrations, Sowore replied, “So far, we know of 17 persons murdered in cold blood by the Nigeria Police Force. We know of a police officer who was killed by a fellow policeman who rammed a water cannons armoured carrier into his van in Katsina State and an immigration officer who shot himself accidentally in Borno State.”
Sowore expressed deep sorrow for those who lost their lives or were injured while exercising their constitutional right to protest peacefully.
He emphasized that the government was the first to bring violence to the demonstrations, using water cannons on peaceful protesters in Kano and firing bullets at protesters who were armed only with placards.
“We will seek legal redress for the government’s actions on behalf of these unjustly attacked and detained compatriots, and we will never forget. One day, everyone who has committed these egregious crimes against the Nigerian people will be made to face the consequences of their crimes and the appropriate legal consequences for their actions,” Sowore declared.
Addressing the issue of looting and vandalism that occurred during the protests, Sowore noted that the organisers had called for a non-violent protest and urged participants to avoid violence.
However, he argued that the government’s heavy-handed response initiated the violence, with security agencies using water cannons, tear gas, and live bullets against unarmed protesters.
