#EndSARS Protest: Take responsibility and step down, Fani-Kayode hits Buhari

#EndSARS Protest: Take responsibility and step down, Fani-Kayode hits Buhari

Fani- Kayode and Muhammadu Buhari

By Idowu Bankole

A former Aviation Minister and foremost Chieftain of the main opposition party in Nigeria, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode has on Tuesday advised President Muhammadu Buhari to humbly take responsibility for the ongoing protest and honourable step-down as President of the federal republic.

Fani-Kayode noted that as credible, laudable, vital, noble, necessary and important as the #EndPoliceBrutality and #EndSARS protests and initiatives are to every right-thinking, reasonable and rational person they are nothing but a mild irritation and meaningless slogans to the President.

In a statement released on his Facebook page, the former Aviation minister lamented that tyrant leaders, whether democratically-elected or not, have little respect for the will of the people and do not bow to reason. According to him, “they see these protests and these courageous young men and women in the streets as nothing but mere irritants with little more than nuisance value.

in an article titled: BUHARI MUST GO! 

Fani-Kayode  quoted Maiwada A. Mohammed,  where he tweeted, “To call for the end of Buhari means that you are trying to dig your grave and next week will be battle week. We will eliminate anyone that says or carries the sign of “end Buhari” within Abuja or elsewhere”- Maiwada A. Mohammed (maiwada_muhd), Twitter, 17th October 2020.

According to Fani-Kayode, “We take note of this misguided young man’s irresponsible, reckless, dangerous and provocative words.”

“We deem them to be a clear and unequivocal threat to life and an ominous expression of intention to maim, kill and destroy those of us that believe that Buhari ought to resign.”

“Yet we are not intimidated and I take this opportunity to say it again loudly and clearly that the resignation of Buhari from power is the only way forward.”

“I say this because it is painfully obvious that there can never be any meaningful reform of the police and security agencies and neither can #endsars truly occur and endure unless and until Buhari leaves power.”

“You cannot change the mindset of a  provincial 80 year old war veteran and General and the crude and thuggish thinking of a violent, vicious, retrograde, backward and oppressive antedelluvian dinosaur.”

As credible, laudable, vital, noble, necessary and important the #EndPoliceBrutality and #EndSARS protests and initiatives are to every right thinking, reasonable and rational person they are nothing but a mild irritation and meaningless slogans to a man who has not only proved to be totally deaf to the yearnings and blind to the sorry plight of his people.”

“Tyrant leaders, whether democratically-elected or not, have little respect for the will of the people and do not bow to reason. They see these protests and these courageous young men and women in the streets as nothing but mere irritants with little more than nuisance value.”

Fani-Kayode further berates the presidency for not issuing a statement on ntghe APO destruction where over 50 cars were burnt to ashes.

He said, “Just in case you have any doubts about this kindly consider the burning of the 200 cars which were owned by #EndSARS protesters in Apo, Abuja by pro-SARS rioters and hoodlums who are also busy killing, maiming, threatening and chasing #EndSARS protestors all over the city every day.”

“And in case that does not get you thinking consider the stage-managed prison break in Benin City and the sponsoring of thugs to infiltrate and cause trouble at #EndSARS protests in order to create the illusion of anarchy and justify the sending in of the military to “restore law and order” during which they will kill a whole lot of innocent people.’

“In the light of all this please do not expect too much from Buhari and his team despite their promises of reform and change. The only changes and reforms they can offer are cosmetic in nature and meaningless and designed to create a false sense of reasonable behaviour, compromise and decency.”

“Yet the truth is that Buhari cannot be trusted and he would rather die than yield to those who are making these demands.

Only the gullible can be fooled by his strategy of “tell them what they want to hear but do as you please”.

“If you really want a new Nigeria or a restructured Nigeria where the rights of the people and the principle of self-deremination will be respected and where police and military brutality and savagery will come to an end and be a thing of the past then you must pluck up the courage to demand that Buhari must resign and leave office for his sheer insensitivity,  impunity and his woeful failure of leadership and for the massive amount of innocent blood that has been spilt and brazen lawlessness that has been displayed under his watch.”

Fani-Kayode recalled President Buahri’s call of ex-president Jonathan to resign in 2014 in the wake of Boko Haram killings in parts of Northern Nigeria.

“In 2014 Buhari asked President Jonathan to resign due to insecurity. In 2013 Buhari himself together with other leading members of the then opposition came out and marched in the streets against Jonathan.”

“No-one threatened them. No-one accused them of attempting to subvert the state or destabilise the country. No-one dismissed them with contempt or subjected them to insults, threats and brutal reprisals.”

“No-one brought out thugs and miscreants to attack and kill them and burn their cars. No one opened the doors of the prisons and accused them of raiding and freeing prisoners.”

No-one called them unprintable names and threatened to bring out troops on the streets to kill them. No-one threatened to wipe them off the face of the earth with an iron fist or turn the whole thing into a tribal war.”

Those that say we have no right to say Buhari must resign due to the prevailing circumstances in our country have no right to tell us what to say or do and are nothing more than irreverent and intolerant.”

They have much to learn about the meaning and true nature of democracy, citizens rights and the freedom of speech.”

There is nothing unlawful or irresponsible in calling for the resignation of a democratically-elected leader where and when he has failed.”

Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu

Fani-Kayode recalled a statemet credited to the APC national leader and he said, “Tinubu’s words were prophetic and he has clearly been proved right. Thanks to Buhari Nigeria is on the brink.”

Fani-Kayode cited, Emperor Haile Sellasi 1 of Ethiopia,Where he said, “Throughout history, it has been the inaction of those who could have acted, the indifference of those who should have known better and the silence of the voice of justice when it mattered most that has made it possible for evil to triumph”.

“This is true. We must shed all fear and continue to speak out and resist the tyranny, injustice and wickedness that thrives in our land lest evil triumphs.”

“That is our duty and calling as children of light and believers in God. That is the risk we must take and the price we have to pay for a better tomorrow.  We are lions: we have no fear.” He said.