Hunger Protest: APC and PDP Clash Over Ekiti Residents’ Decision to Stay Home

In a heated exchange, the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ekiti State have clashed over the decision of residents to stay home and not participate in a nationwide protest against hunger and bad governance.

According to reports, the APC governor, Mr. Biodun Oyebanji, had appealed to residents to shun the protest, citing the potential for violence and the state’s steady progress towards shared prosperity. However, the PDP state chairman, Chief Alaba Agboola, has accused the APC government of bad governance, saying that Ekiti residents are too hungry to participate in the protest.

In an interview with PUNCH Online, Agboola said, "Before you can go out to protest, you and your family must have something at home that you will eat. Ekiti people are hungry, angry and helpless." He added that the fact that residents did not join the protest does not mean they are in agreement with the state government’s actions.

The APC State Publicity Secretary, Segun Dipe, dismissed the PDP’s assertion, saying it was against logic. In an interview with PUNCH Online, Dipe said, "It is when people are hungry that they will want to fight. We may not say Ekiti people are filled to the brim, but they are not hungry, they are not starving."

Dipe also claimed that Ekiti residents did not join the protest due to their trust in Oyebanji and the good governance in the state. He said, "The protesters are saying ‘end hunger or end bad governance’ whatever and Ekiti people have decided not to join. That means the Ekiti people have no reason to protest."

The APC spokesperson added that Ekiti people are getting the best of governance and that they know their hope is alive due to the governor’s good works. He said, "Ekiti people are getting the best of governance. If there is trust, they know that their hope is alive. The people are seeing the governor’s good works. We can’t say they are filled more than any other person, but they are not hungry and they are not starved."

The controversy highlights the deepening divisions between the APC and PDP in Ekiti State, with both parties accusing each other of bad governance and neglecting the welfare of residents.