Oshiomhole, minister booed at Abuja book launch amid tensions

What was meant to be a solemn literary gathering in Abuja turned rowdy on Thursday as guests heckled Senator Adams Oshiomhole and Niger Delta Development Minister, Engr. Abubakar Momoh, during their speeches at the public presentation of Demonstration of Craze: Struggles and Transition to Democracy in Nigeria, a memoir by veteran human rights activist and former lawmaker Abdul Oroh.

Oroh, a former journalist and executive director of the Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO), used the 614-page memoir to reflect on Nigeria’s fraught journey from military rule to democracy, particularly under the regimes of Generals Muhammadu Buhari, Ibrahim Babangida, and the late Sani Abacha.

Tensions began to simmer when Oshiomhole, the senator representing Edo North and former national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), took to the stage. Expected to speak on the democratic struggles chronicled in the book, Oshiomhole instead devoted much of his time to defending his activist credentials and attacking Omoyele Sowore, a fellow rights activist who had earlier criticized the APC as a party of “charlatans.”

As Oshiomhole praised his contributions to the democratic movement and his political record, members of the audience grew agitated. Many perceived his tone as self-congratulatory and disconnected from the day’s theme. Despite attempting to round off on multiple occasions, he continued speaking, prompting open heckling from the crowd.

Chants of “end the speech” and murmurs of disapproval echoed through the hall, with some attendees visibly frustrated.

A similar scene unfolded when Minister Abubakar Momoh addressed the audience. Attempting to tout the achievements of President Bola Tinubu’s administration, Momoh quickly drew the ire of guests who booed him and demanded he focus on the book event rather than make political remarks.

Though the disruptions marred parts of the programme, the event still attracted a distinguished audience of pro-democracy activists, legal scholars, and public intellectuals. Among them were Olisa Agbakoba (SAN), Ayo Obe, Hon. Uche Onyeagocha, architect Nnimo Bassey, Dr. Tunji Abayomi, Abdul Mahmud, former NANS president Lanre Arogundade, and Comrade Ibrahim Zikirullahi. Also present were representatives of Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani, University of Abuja students, and other stakeholders.

Oroh’s memoir is a comprehensive account of Nigeria’s long, painful transition from military dictatorship to civilian rule. It documents the courage of activists and ordinary Nigerians who stood up to successive military regimes, often at great personal risk. The book also explores the promises and betrayals that have shaped Nigeria’s democratic experience over the past two decades.

Thursday’s incident is not the first time Oshiomhole has faced public backlash. On February 8, 2023, he was jeered at the 13th National Delegates Conference of the Nigeria Labour Congress in Abuja, where his comments on the national minimum wage and the prolonged Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) strike drew sharp criticism.

Attempts to assure union members that his political affiliations had not eroded his values were met with louder boos, as delegates accused him of betraying the labour movement and aligning too closely with then-President Muhammadu Buhari’s unpopular policies.

The Abuja event underscored the growing public discontent with political figures attempting to rewrite history or whitewash their records in the presence of citizens who remember otherwise.