Accolades as Seyi Makinde joins June 12 protest in Ibadan

Oyo governor Seyi Makinde is receiving praises online for protesting with other Nigerians in the state.

Protesters are peacefully marching across the country to celebrate today’s June 12 Democracy Day and demand good governance from elected officials.

Unlike other governors who moved to ban the protests and unleash armed police on peaceful demonstrators, Makinde joined the march in Ibadan, the Oyo state capital.

“I saw a video of protesters in Oyo state shielding Governor Seyi Makinde as he drives through to protest with them,” Wale Adetona tweeted in apparent appreciation of Makinde’s stance on the protest.

“I dare Babjide Sanwo-Olu (Lagos) or even President Muhammadu Buhari to try same.”

Another tweeter wrote: “Peaceful protesters are seen moving around protesting in Ibadan, Oyo state with police escort. Oyo is steadily setting the pace. Nice one, Seyi Makinde”.

“Seyi Makinde doing the bare minimum and we love it. That’s my governor. He gives me joy,” Pamilerin Adegoke tweeted.

Makinde is also the first governor to openly condemn Buhari’s Twitter ban.

Meanwhile, in Lagos and Abuja, state-sponsored “thugs” are attacked peaceful protesters while police arrested journalists and threatened to kill a reporter for covering the demonstrations.

Buhari named June 12 Democracy Day to honour MKO Abiola, a super-rich politician who won a presidential election but was not allowed to lead. Abiola later died in the custody of the Nigerian government.

Many Nigerians say Buhari, who once unconstitutionally removed a democratically elected government, is a tyrant. They also point to the president’s history of protesting as a private citizen whenever Buhari tried to demonise protesters.

“Buhari is a protester, he cannot tell us not to protest,” Concerned Nigerians convener Deji Adeyanju said Friday.