Dumebi Kachikwu, the 2023 presidential candidate for the African Democratic Congress (ADC), has called for an end to the ongoing protests in Nigeria.
In a statement made on Sunday in Abuja, Kachikwu expressed concern that innocent lives are being lost, with at least 14 reported deaths during the demonstrations against the country’s economic crisis.
He urged President Bola Tinubu to adopt a more collaborative approach, stating that the president cannot solve the country’s problems alone.
Kachikwu also criticised the opposition for failing to offer viable solutions to the challenges facing Nigeria, emphasising the need for collective action to address the crisis.
“We can’t continue killing ourselves. Our streets flow with the blood of the innocent. Over 19 people were killed in this scam of a protest, all for what? No child of any politician or big man was killed,” Kachikwu said.
“We as leaders need to come to a table of equity, justice, and fairness to address the plight of the downtrodden immediately.
“It is not Tinubu’s problem alone, and Tinubu must stop acting like he can do it all by himself. He must show leadership and reach out across party lines to get the best and brightest to a solution roundtable.
“The job of the opposition now is to oppose and propose, but what we are doing is only opposing without providing any solutions to our problems.
“Watch any advanced democracy and see how the opposition behaves. They have their stand and solution on all issues, and they will debate you night and day. But here, all we want to do is abuse Tinubu without offering any concrete solutions.
“We protested SARS arresting so-called Yahoo boys and our youths on trumped-up charges. Who are we deceiving? For how long will we keep on being mediocre about our civic duties?
“If you hate Tinubu so much, then pressure the national assembly to remove him or wait till the next elections. But heating up the polity for the last year and attempting to remove a democratically elected government through the back door is no different from a coup.”
Kachikwu added that the federal government could maintain paying subsidies on premium motor spirit (PMS), also known as gasoline, but must ensure that it is free of fraud.
