Aisha Yesufu Rebukes Peter Obi Over Criticism of 2012 Occupy Nigeria Protest

Human rights activist and political commentator Aisha Yesufu has publicly criticised Peter Obi, the former Labour Party presidential candidate, for his recent comments condemning the Occupy Nigeria protests that took place during the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan. Obi had questioned the rationale behind the protests that erupted in 2012, when Nigerians took to the streets in opposition to a hike in fuel prices from ₦87 to ₦120 per litre.

Speaking at a memorial lecture in honour of the late Niger Delta elder statesman, Pa Edwin Clark, on May 7 in Abuja, Obi queried the absence of public outcry in the face of today’s significantly higher costs of living. “Where are those who, in 2012/13, protested vigorously when increases in fuel, exchange rate, food, and transport prices were moderate and manageable under President Jonathan?” he asked. “Where are those who called President Jonathan all sorts of names—‘clueless,’ ‘corrupt,’ ‘ineffective,’ and ‘lifeless government’? Where are they now that the prices of everything have increased tenfold?”

Yesufu, a long-time supporter of Obi, pushed back strongly against his remarks. In a video response, she stated that Obi’s view on the protest was misguided. “First of all, I’m going to start with where Mr. Peter Obi said there was no need to protest during Jonathan’s time. I think that’s a very wrong allusion to have — like there’s no need to protest,” she said.

Yesufu defended the right to protest as fundamental, drawing parallels with democratic nations where public demonstrations are common regardless of government performance. “Let’s look at Nigeria, for example, and let’s look at countries in other parts of the world where they are doing very well. People are protesting every day. There’s never a time where there’s no need to protest.”

She also warned that any leader expecting a protest-free term, regardless of popularity or performance, is out of touch with democratic principles. “And if Mr. Obi thinks he’s gonna get into office and think people will not protest no matter how good he is, then he should drop that.”

Addressing Obi’s comparison of fuel prices then and now, Yesufu stressed that people protest based on present realities. “What Peter Obi needs to understand, and what everybody needs to understand, is that at that time, people were protesting against ₦120. The ₦900 of today was in the future. Nobody protests for the future,” she argued.

She concluded by affirming that the protests during Jonathan’s tenure were not only justified but also timely, asserting, “If there was any time a protest should have happened, it was during Jonathan.”