Kayode Babayomi, the chairman of the African Action Congress (AAC) in Oyo state, has strongly condemned the government’s plan to regulate public gatherings, including protests and rallies, following a recent stampede in Ibadan.
SaharaReporters learned that the Oyo State House of Assembly has urged the executive arm of Government to regulate large public gatherings, particularly those with 500 or more attendees.
This decision comes in the wake of the tragic stampede at a private children’s funfair in Ibadan on December 18, 2024, which claimed multiple lives, most of them children.
The motion, titled “Need for the Executive Arm of Government to Regulate Large Public Gatherings to Ensure Safety and Prevent Tragic Incidents,” was moved by Hon. A.O. Babalola (Ibadan North-East 1) and co-sponsored by Rt. Hon. E.A. Ogundoyin (Ibarapa East), Speaker; Hons. S.A. Onaolapo (Ogbomoso South), Leader of the House and four other lawmakers.
During its legislative deliberation on Tuesday, the House expressed deep sorrow over the Ibadan tragedy and commended the state government for its prompt medical intervention for the victims.
In response, the AAC chairman accused the government of trying to silence the people through “useless bills and policies” in the state assembly in his recent post on X.
Babayomi described the proposed regulation, which mandates government permission for gatherings of over 500 people, as “repressive and despotic.”
He argued that this regulation would grant the sitting government excessive control over which gatherings can occur, effectively silencing opposition voices.
He wrote: “Cowards like @Adebo_ogund (Speaker, Adebo Ogundoyin) will look for every opportunity to silence the people through their useless bills and policies in the Oyo state assembly, the idea of regulating public gatherings above 500 is repressive and despotic, so political campaigns, advocacy rallies, protests will now require the political will or order by the sitting government, this will not be accepted by the people, it’s the duty of the government to provide security at every point, not looking for every possible reason to silence the people and tag them names.”
