#EndSARS memorial: YPP holds rally in Kwara, says it’s time for ballot revolution
Members of the Kwara State Chapter of the Young Progressive Party on Thursday held a peaceful rally to mark the one-year anniversary of the #EndSARS protest.
With participants carrying placards with inscriptions like, ‘#EndSARS should not be in vain’, ‘Register for PVC for ballot revolution’, ‘Street to the ballot’, ‘Ballot revolution 2023’ and ‘#Sacked TIC should go’, the rally took off at the party’s secretariat, behind Kingstone Hotel, off Agba road, GRA, Ilorin after the party’s chairman, Mr. Charles Folayan addressed a press gathering.
Charles called on the youth to work with YPP to usher in credible leaders with new ideas, innovation, energy, and intellectual capacity that would galvanize the productive skills of the youth to generate solutions.
He urged Nigerians to reject old, weak and sick leaders who are leading the country nowhere.
He said, “We are the generation that will inherit this country. But, we have to save her first. It is clear that the challenges facing Nigeria and Nigerians at this moment in time can not be solved by our lamentations on social media, nor can they be addressed by street protests. We must, therefore, move from the street to the ballot to achieve the YPP BALLOT REVOLUTION.
“Fellow Young Nigerians, let us remain peaceful and continue to work for the peace and unity of Nigeria. Let us be patriotic enough to obtain our Permanent Voters Card (PVC) and be ready to vote. Remember, there is no polling unit on the social media or on the street. If there is any justice in the world, our votes will be counted. And guess what? We are in the majority!”
On EndSARS protest, Charles said, “You would recall that a year ago, Nigerian youth across the country spoke out loud and clear with one “SoroSoke” voice, against police brutality and bad governance. We expressed our anger and frustration, and demanded for a reset.
“Armed only with internet connectivity, social media skills, unity, collective purpose, and a burning passion for a better Nigeria, youth shutdown the nation and forced the Nigerian Government to promise the immediate disbandment of the notorious SARS unit and pledge reforms for officers of the Nigerian Police Force. With a purely egalitarian structure, youths provided security, legal and health services, entertainment and funds for the protest. There was no differentiation along religious or ethnic lines. Nigerian youth do not think along the lines of East or West; North or South. This is reserved for the deeply entrenched ‘political elite’ that have this country by the throat.
“Sadly, the response from the Government was initially mute, but was finally loudly violent. We can never forget that many young Nigerians were injured, and lost their lives in the course of fighting for a better society. Let us make sure that the sacrifice of these fallen heroes was not in vain. We must see the EndSARS protest as proof of our power and capacity to rebirth Nigeria.”
He, however, stated that the only constitutional way to bring about change in a democratic setting is to participate in the political process, and governance structure, stressing that his party was birthed based on this.
