NNPP urges calm, appeals to FG for solution
All Progressives Congress (APC), Oyo State chapter, has accused Governor Seyi Makinde and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the brains behind the protests across major parts of Ibadan against the scarcity of petrol and cash nationwide.

APC Publicity Secretary, Olawale Sadare, however, appealed for calm and patience among the citizenry, warning that violent protests and unrest would not solve the problems. He accused the state government of sponsoring the protests to frustrate APC campaign in the state.

His words: “Fuel and Naira scarcity is the handiwork of some unpatriotic elements, who want to frustrate the smooth conduct of the general elections as scheduled by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

“There are indications that the pockets of protests being witnessed in some major parts of Ibadan were coordinated and sponsored by the PDP government of Oyo to frustrate the APC presidential rally, which was moved from Tuesday last week to Thursday, February 16 (today), as it became imperative for us to act in the mood of the nation.”

BUT, Publicity Secretary of PDP, Akeem Olatunji, refuted the claims.

Olatunji, while speaking with The Guardian on telephone, asked APC to show remorse for subjecting Nigerians to unnecessary hardships through the new cash policies and fuel scarcity.

While appealing to the protesters to express their grievances in a civilised manner, Olatunji said: “Destruction of public facilities would not resolve the issue at hand.”

The PDP spokesman advised the APC to face the fact that the protests were not peculiar to Oyo, adding that the allegation that PDP was instigating the protests was bereft of logic and commonsense.

MEANWHILE, South West leader of New Nigerian Peoples Party (NNPP), Bisi Olopoeyan, while deploring the fuel and Naira scarcity, cautioned against destruction of public facilities and extortion of people.

“These would further make life worse for the ordinary masses in the midst of the hardship that the various government policies inflicted on Nigerians,” he said, appealing to President Muhammadu Buhari and the APC to take urgent steps before the situation gets out of hand.