Fmr Ekiti Central Senator Ojudu, Condemns Attacks On President’s Convoy In Abuja, Supporters Of NDC In Lagos

By Ayodele Oni 

A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress(APC), Senator Babafemi Ojudu, has condemned the alleged attack on President Bola Tinubu’s convoy by some Muslim youths in Abuja on Friday.

Reports had emerged that some worshippers at the newly renovated Shehu Shagari Central Mosque in Abuja allegedly threw stones at the president’s convoy shortly after Friday prayers.

This is coming few hours after President Tinubu, in a statement he personally signed on Friday, pleaded that “violence should never have a place in our political campaigns as we move toward the 2027 general elections.”

Tinubu stated that “I have followed recent reports of violence accompanying political events in different parts of the country.

“Every form of violence stands condemned. Violence should never have a place in our political campaigns as we move toward the 2027 general elections.

“Our campaigns should be about issues, a contestation of ideas that promote the welfare of our people and the progress of our country.

“As the leader of this country, I commit myself to a peaceful, free, and fair election, and I urge political leaders and supporters across party lines to conduct themselves responsibly.

“I have said that being in different political parties or pursuing different ambitions does not make us enemies.

A video showing some youths booing Tinubu and chanting rejection slogans as his convoy departed the mosque has since gone viral on social media, despite attempts by the Presidency to dismiss reports of an attack.

Ojodu, while reacting to the alleged attack in a statement issued on Saturday, condemned the growing wave of political violence across the country, warning that Nigeria was bleeding.

He called for a transparent and thorough investigation into reports that stones were thrown at the president’s convoy.

Ojudu also expressed concern over the attack on supporters of the Nigeria Democratic Congress(NDC) during a political gathering in Lagos on Thursday.

He said the incidents, though different in their circumstances, reflected a dangerous trend that required urgent national attention.

The statement read: “Nigeria is bleeding. At a time of hardship, insecurity and deepening public frustration, our politics is becoming dangerously combustible.

“Political meetings are attacked, campaign vehicles burnt, billboards destroyed, and citizens threatened for their choices.

“Every incident invites another grievance, another accusation, another promise of retaliation. We must act before the scattered fires become a national conflagration.

“Reports that stones were thrown at the convoy have been disputed by presidential aides, notwithstanding several video clips circulating. This requires transparent investigation.

“Let us be clear: citizens have the right to reject a president politically, voice their grievances, and campaign against his re-election. Peaceful dissent is a democratic right.

“Throwing stones at anyone, including the President, is violence.

“Equally, citizens attending an opposition meeting are exercising a constitutional freedom. Attacking them is an assault on that freedom. Neither public anger nor party loyalty confers a licence to injure.

“The President must be safe among the people he governs. The people must be safe when they disagree with him. That is the democratic standard we must defend together.”