A feeling of triumphalism swept through the presidency on the night of August 5, 2019, after it quelled the #RevolutionNow protest spearheaded by a group called the Global Coalition for Security and Democracy in Nigeria.

One of the lead conveners of the protest, publisher of online news platform SaharaReporters and former presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, was picked up by operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) a day before the street marches and remains in the custody of the secret service.

Police personnel fired teargas canisters at a handful of protesters in the commercial capital city of Lagos and elsewhere, with police bosses describing the protests as “unlawful” because organisers had not obtained permission from relevant authorities before taking to the streets. 

President Muhammadu Buhari's spokesperson, Garba Shehu, issued a statement afterwards, gloating about how poorly attended the revolution protest was across the country, even though the organisers had boasted beforehand that it was going to bring the federal government to its knees and possibly sack it.

We take a look at the presidency’s statement in five different ways...

Phantom is another way of saying something is fake or doesn’t exist. 

Here’s what the presidency said of the protest:

“Today, millions of Nigerians went about their businesses: work, seeking employment, attending school/college and caring for their families. By doing so, the millions defended our country’s hard-won democratic rights – by ignoring calls on social media to join a phantom ‘revolution’”.

The presidency interpreted poor attendance at protest venues to mean support for a president that was only handed a second term in office a couple of months ago. 

“The president is humbled by the support – not for himself, or the governing party – but for the democratic values of modern-day Nigeria through the wisdom of those millions of citizens who preferred democracy and decided not to undermine an elected government”, Shehu’s statement read.

Without calling him by name, Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers state received rare plaudits from the presidency for denouncing the #RevolutionNow protest and for calling on security agencies to crackdown on protesters in his home state.

The presidency sure took note of Wike’s public pronouncement and intervention on the subject: “Today, joining those millions of Nigerians was not only the president and governing party at federal level, but many state governments from the opposition, trade unions, civil society organisations, media and NGOs with focus on freedom of speech. All have, rightly, united in protecting Nigeria’s young democracy and the rights of all to elect leaders and lawmakers.”  

According to the presidency, the protest organisers “went on social media to ask everyday Nigerians to overthrow the government they only elected some six months ago”. 

The statement added that: “The Global Coalition for Security and Democracy in Nigeria’s attempt to incite citizens into a revolution against their own democratic rights and interests has failed – as will all attempts to take away from the people their hard-won rights and freedom to choose who leads their country.’’

It is unclear if the protesters will continue to hit the streets in the next couple of days or if they have a plan of action on how to proceed hereafter.