From Lateef Dada, Osogbo
Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in Osun State have divided over the announcement by a group to discontinue the end bad governance protest.
A group led by Ajala Adetunji on Tuesday announced their decision to discontinue the protest to avoid uncontrollable clash with some people that would be coming for Osun-Osogbo festival.
But, the take it back movement, in a statement made available to our correspondent in Osogbo, on Thursday by its coordinator, Samson Tola, said there is no individual or groups that is capable of bringing an end to the protest for any known personal or collective reasons.
He said, “we want to announce to the public and the security agents that the protest will continue particularly on Saturday immediately after the Osun Osogbo festival until the government of the federation is ready to aceed to the demands of Nigerians.
“So, we urge the security men to make themselves available to safe guide the lives and properties of the protesters as stipulated by law during this time as they have been doing from the beginning of the protest,” the group said.
Similarly, a faction of the protesters who suspended the protest maintained that the protest continue despite the purported suspension by a group of the protesters.
In a statement signed by the coordinator of Osun Youths EndBadGovernance, Obatope Martins, the group said, “Our stance is that we are not part of those who for certain hold- backs, kick-backs, promises and rewards, decided to terminate the growing protest and shutting the people from crying after strokes of cane from #BadGovernance.
“The professional, engaged and privately owned comrades’ who called-off and/or suspended the Protest does so without the consent, permission, authority and sanction of Osun State Youths EndBadGovernance and every other peaceful Protesters on the ground to take such a ‘Judasic decision,” the group added.