Gov. Abiodun did not call protesters sore losers – media aide

The Ogun State Government said on Saturday that Gov. Dapo Abiodun did not refer to protesters as sore losers.

It said rather the governor was talking about certain losers of the 2023 elections who were cashing in on the dissent of Nigerian youths to destabilize the country.

The Special Adviser to the Governor on Media and Publicity, Mr. Kayode Akinmade, said this in a statement made available to newsmen in Abeokuta on Saturday.

Describing it as a total fabrication, he said nowhere in the referenced interview with Channels TV did the governor suggest, even remotely, that ordinary Nigerians ventilating their grievances over the economic situation in the country are sore losers, adding that the governor is well known for his deep appreciation of Nigerian youths, students, and workers, whom he has always held in the highest esteem and spoken about in glowing terms.

The governor said the chaos that greeted the protest in several parts of the country had vindicated his position.

The statement added that only on Friday, the governor lauded Ogun residents, particularly the youth, for shunning violent protests and conducting themselves in an exemplary manner, assuring that his administration remained committed to their happiness.

It stated that the governor was not only willfully and maliciously taken out of context in his characterization of certain political opponents of President Bola Tinubu using the ongoing hunger protest to feather their own nests, but is now also being persecuted by the same individuals through sponsored attacks on his person and office.

The statement added: “The claim that Governor Abiodun insulted ordinary Nigerians is spurious, malicious, and lacks any rational basis. Elementary rules of language indicate that the meaning of an expression resides in its context: Governor Abiodun could not have been referring to ordinary Nigerians as the sponsors of a faceless and leaderless protest.

“While Governor Abiodun did indeed mention sore losers, he was clearly emphasizing irredentist opposition leaders who do not wish the administration well, urging them to prepare for the 2027 polls instead of mindlessly discrediting every government policy just to excite passions and incite people against the government.

“To stretch his use of the word ‘Nigerians’ beyond its intended referents in this context is, therefore, to engage in intellectual fraud and plain mischief.

“Governor Abiodun has the utmost respect for the protesters, and he has made that clear on many occasions.”