By Nsan Ndoma-Neji, Calabar
The Inter-Party Advisory Council Chairman in Cross River State, Engr. Effiom Edet Okon, has called on the 18 political parties operating in the state not to participate in the forthcoming nationwide protest scheduled for August 1, 2024.
The IPAC Chairman made the call in Calabar at the office of the SA Inter-Party Affairs, when the leadership of the IPAC meet during its July 26, 2024 stakeholders meeting in Calabar.
The IPAC chair stated that despite the fact that there are pleas in certain quarters including political parties, to allow the nation carry out what is described as peaceful protest, IPAC kicked against the planned protest.
Engr Effiom expressed empathy towards the state of our nation’s economy, stressing that the protest ordinarily should not have been a problem but “IPAC is afraid of the exercise being hijacked by hoodlums, just as it was experienced during the #EndSARS protest of 2020, where property worth billions of naira were vandalized or looted.”
IPAC statement which copied the Director of the Department of State Security and Cross River State Commissioner of Police, and made available to our news desk stated that the #EndSARS protest which culminated into destruction of properties, theft, lost of lives and numerous ill-fated behaviors from most protesters, wasn’t a good experience.
The IPAC chairman appealed to leaders of various political parties not to allow their party members to participate in the planned protests.
He said, “We appealed to our leaders of thoughts, party leaders and well meaningful individuals not to allow their wards and parties’ faithful to participate in the planned protests.”
He further cited another instance where the popular state owned newspaper corporation, is yet to be revived since the newspaper corporation was hit by the #EndSARS protest.
Other public institutions yet to be revived after the 2020 #EndSARS protest include, the Cross River State Library currently undergoing rehabilitation, where millions of naira already being sunk in to ensure it is fully revitalized to commence operation.
The chairman maintained that such expenditure would go a long way to address needs in other areas.
The IPAC Chair charged all political parties to shun the protest, reassuring them of readiness of the current administration to deliver dividends of democracy as a benchmark for sweetness.
