A member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Adedeji Dhikrullahi Olajide, has urged members of the National Council of State to intervene in the planned protest looming across the country.
Olajide Odidiomo, who represents Ibadan North-west/Ibadan Southwest Federal Constituency of Oyo state at the national assembly made the call in a statement issued in Ibadan and made available to Journalists by his Special Adviser on Media and Public Affairs, Tolu Mustapha.
According to Olajide, the council’s intervention becomes necessary to prevent the protest from being hijacked and to ensure that the demands of the protesters are addressed.
“The National Council of State, as a body of prominent Nigerians, has a critical role to play in resolving the current political impasse in the country,” Odidiomo said.
He commended the organizers of the protest for their courage and determination, but expressed concerns about the potential consequences of the protest if not properly managed.
“I urge the National Council of State to intervene and engage with the organizers of the protest to ensure that their demands are addressed and that the protest is peaceful and law-abiding,” he added.
The National Council of State, which comprises the President, Vice President, former Heads of State and other prominent Nigerians, is empowered to advise the President on matters of national importance.
The two term federal lawmaker further stated that the call for the council’s intervention becomes necessary as concerns continue to mount about the potential consequences of the protest, which is planned to hold in major cities across the country.
The protest, which is being organized by a coalition of civil society groups is meant to draw attention to the country’s economic and political challenges and to demand an end to bad governance.
Hon. Olajide appealed to the protesters to shun violence and embrace peaceful means of expressing their grievances and also called on security operatives who will be deployed to strategic locations in OYO state and other major cities across the country to prevent any breakdown of law and order to operate within the precincts of the law and not infringe on the constitutional rights of the protesters.
