Betta Edu, Cross River Commissioner for Health has admitted that her #EndSARS tweets may have been insensitive.
Gatekeepers News reports that Edu, through her official Twitter handle stressed that she did not endorse the use of violence in the 2020 EndSARS protest.
Edu made this known in reaction to a call by a group – Buharists Hang Out (BHO) who asked the screening panel of the All Progressives Congress (APC) caretaker and extraordinary convention planning committee to disqualify her from contesting as a National Woman Leader of the party.
Edu said, “When I made the decision last year to follow my political leader and the Governor of my home state of Cross River, Prof. Ben Ayade, into the party, it was based on this conviction and a genuine desire to do more for our women and other Nigerians.
“On a platform that is both conducive for growth and resolutely focused on the same. So far, I have not been disappointed, and I am grateful to all of you for that.”
She acknowledged her “stance during the nationwide ENDSARS protests that gripped the nation in the year 2020, have generated confusion and caused some to question both my loyalty to the APC and my fitness to serve in its leadership structure.”
Edu added, “When the ENDSARS protest first broke out in the year 2020 as a civil agitation against the very real problem of police brutality, like most Nigerians, I was sympathetic to the cause, more so because I have equally been subjected to a most traumatic experience by policemen who violated the ethics of their profession and my basic rights as a Nigerian.
“My sense at the time was also that the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration indeed acknowledged the existence of the problem and reiterated its commitment to tackling it with promised reforms and other institutional changes, hence the acceptance of the ‘five for five’ demands outlined by the recognized leadership of the protest movement.”
The Commissioner stressed that “contrary to insinuations making the rounds, I did not at any point endorse the use of violence as a way to express these concerns or call the attention of the government.
“In actual fact, I have evidence of media appearances and interviews that I granted to condemn the sad and most unfortunate degeneration of the movement to widespread violence, arson, and damaging vandalism.
“In my home state of Cross River, I witnessed the horrifying effects of the turn to violence, including the looting of healthcare facilities & other important institutions leading to the loss of sensitive equipment, resources such as sample tests & other important materials.”
“I did not hold back in my condemnation of these violent activities and as aforementioned, clips of my unequivocal condemnation of violence exist to support this claim.
“I do acknowledge that a few of my spur-of-the-moment tweets and impulsive reactions to reports at the climax of the event may have been indelicate and distorted my true position on things. I am human, a mom, and thus given to emotions,” she added.
The Commissioner, therefore, reassured and appealed to her progressive comrades who are expressing concern not to reduce her intentions and nuanced political views in the past to a couple of badly-worded tweets.
Edu wrote, “Since my entry into the party, I have focused on and made significant progress in the mission to deepen the acceptance of the APC in Cross River state and across the South-South region.
“This is even more so amongst women with whom I have built decades-long relationships based on my advocacy and championing of their inclusion and empowerment.
“I am convinced that this goal of expanding the reach and influence of the party in a region still considered the stronghold of the opposition is one that we all share, considering its grave importance to our chance of retaining political power, especially at the center.”
The Commissioner further appealed to members of the party for their “understanding in the request to unite around these shared objectives and continue with the all-important integration process and consensus-building that will help grow the party and win more converts.
“My loyalty to the APC and the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration is complete and total. I am one of you, and I seek to lead our women because I believe in my ability to rally women’s votes and mobilize their support across the country…… based on well-developed policies & strategies to facilitate membership of the party, to spur & guide our leadership across all levels on impactful ways to prioritize women-focused issues that will hasten the country’s growth & significantly improve our chances at the polls.
“Let us look forward to the future and commit to rebuilding and strengthening our great Party, the @OfficialAPCNg to meet the hopes and expectations of Nigerians who daily look to us for solutions to existing challenges and the consolidation of recorded progress.”
