Protests: PRP frowns at calls for military takeover, condemns rioters

By Jude Opara

The Peoples Redemption Party, PRP, has condemned the call from different quarters of Nigeria for a military takeover of the country.
The calls are coming in the wake of the nationwide protests against bad governance and hardship in the country.
The National Chairman of the PRP, Falalu Bello, condemned the coup calls in a statement on Wednesday, faulting those who decided to turn the protesters into a spree of violence and looting.
This is as he commended some Nigerian youths who have so far conducted themselves to protest peacefully.
Bello said that the military should be restricted to their constitutional responsibility of protecting the territorial integrity of Nigeria and assisting the Nigeria Police Force to maintain peace when the need arises.
According to him, the only means of changing any bad government is through the ballot box, calling on Nigerian youths to come out en-masse during any general election capable of producing good leadership.
“In the ongoing protests, we have heard of some people calling for the Nigerian military to take over the government in Nigeria. We in the PRP are against this call and believe strongly that the military should be restricted to their constitutional responsibility of protecting the territorial integrity of Nigeria and assisting the Nigeria Police Force to maintain peace when called to do so.
“The Nigerian electorate, we believe, should be allowed to change any bad government through the ballot box. The APC government of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu can be changed through the ballot box, and we call on the Nigerian youth, who constitute 67% of registered voters of Nigeria, to massively come out in the next 2 years and 8 months to bring a new government that would have empathy for its citizens and bring good governance to the nation, and this is possible.”