No protest, no democracy, no elections, by Comrade IG Iwala

The 1st political tool left for the masses was protest that comes with a massive crowd. Tinubu used the Malams or Sheikhs to haramised protest being the most powerful toil given yo masses by the Nigerian constitution. Don’t forget that the north is known for its population and when such population deployed for protest, it will be a protest where men, women and children including grannies will be participating.

See how insecurity rendered the entire region without a single protest to pressure the government to end it. See how bad economic and corruption is sending people to grave, without a counter action from the masses inform of protest. You can also see how bad leadership and misrepresentation all over the places like National Assembly and State Government, yet no protest because the religious leaders have delivered their contract of disarming citizens with the only effective means of reaction that will compell the government to act decisively against the terrorists.

This is where we are today as citizens govern under democracy, disarmed, powerless and defenseless against our will. This is the most stupid thing that the citizens of a country that’s practicing democracy have done to themselves without realising the gravity of such blunder. Constititionally, protest is meant to be used to subdue dictatorship and tyranny. It is the constitution instrument used against corruption and bad governance. It is the only and most powerful gift the constitution has ever given to citizens of any democratic society because its unify all voices into one voice. The judiciary can bow to protest because injustice cannot stand the anger of the oppressed in a collective formation.

What happened to the #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria on 1st August, 2024 protest was not a protest, but political handwork to hijack a constitutionally empowered protest. If you have no idea of what a protest is, because you have not in your life organised one, you have lost the credibility to endorse what we all saw that happened to cities, businesses and properties as protest. Destruction is not protest because politically sponsored destructors are not protesters, but stage managed rioters.

Sadly, here we are today crying for solutions, when we have thrown solution out of the window of ignorance and manipulation. We will surely regret what some of those religious leaders that connived with bad politicians have done to us when we approach elections. This desperate government will deny us the right to lawful assembly so that we don’t disrupt their plans on how to rig the elections. Without protest to bring sanity in a state of injustice, there is no democracy and because there will be no credible election.

If we can’t protest against the killings of our own as a result of insecurity, if we failed to protest against hardship, high tarrifs, taxes, how can we protest for mere elections? This is the state of myopia and derailment we now are. Thanks to Tinubu, thanks to religious manipulators and thanks to us for the sheer ignorance.