Federal Capital Territory Senator, Ireti Kingibe, has said she wished she was leading the hunger protest in the capital city.
Mrs. Ireti Kingibe said her current health condition was responsible for her not joining the protest. She said it is the responsibility of Nigeria police to protect protesters and not harass the citizens.
The FCT senator stated this on Sunday while reacting to a statement from the African Action Congress (AAC) former presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, who accused her of being political in the way she addressed the FCT Police personnel’s brutal attack on peaceful protesters at Moshood Abiola National Stadium, on Saturday.
Sowore, on Sunday, on his X handle, further accused Mrs. Kingibe of generating her statement, posted on her X handle, about Saturday’s attack by police personnel from ChatGPT.
“This is the problem with all these ChatGPT-generated statements by politicians, what was the claim of violence between the FCT Police Command and peacefully protesting #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria activists founded on?
“This is another load of crap heaped on victims of Nigeria Police brutality!” Sowore wrote.
In her reaction, Senator Kingibe explained she was not exonerating FCT Police personnel who attacked peaceful protesters.
She noted that she had been accused of sponsoring the hunger protest in the capital city.
The Labour Party senator emphasized that protest remains a democratic principle and not haram.
“I am too old to play the gallery. I stand and sympathize with the suffering and hungry people and that cannot be questioned. If my reference is a problem I have made it abundantly clear that the protest in Abuja was peaceful.
“It is clear that the protesters in Abuja conducted themselves peacefully and did not engage in any destructive behavior to the best of my knowledge. I heard and watched online how some people said they were paid to infiltrate the peaceful protesters.
“You saw my earlier tweet where I was accused of leading the protest. I wish I did because there is nothing wrong with it but for my health. Asking for dialogue is not wrong as it is another form of protest. Just seeking for alternative ways to reduce casualty and achieve results if possible.
“The police have a responsibility to protect the people, not to harass, intimate and harm the protesters. This is democratic principle and anything else is Haram,” she added.
