· Nasarawa women go half nude in Day 4 of anti-INEC protest
· Angry youths ask US, UK, EU to sanction INEC chair, Yakubu, 15 RECs
· Kaduna bans street protest
As reactions continue to trail the conduct of 2023 presidential and governorship elections in Nigeria, aggrieved citizens have intensified their protest in rejection of the alleged manipulations by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) with protests across the country.
Protests have been intensifies in Abuja, Nasarawa and Kaduna states in rejection of the results declared by INEC in both the presidential and governorship elections in some states.
This is even as the government of Kaduna state has banned any form of street protest which had greeted the declaration of the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Senator Uba Sani, as winner of the state’s governorship election.
In Abuja, several groups defied the afternoon rain to storm the office of the Attorney General of the Federation and other public places to press their demand for the removal, arrest and prosecution of the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, over allegations that he compromised the elections.
Protesting under the aegis of the ‘Free Nigeria Movement, another group marched to the Court of Appeal to register their displeasure over what they described as monumental fraud in the just-concluded 2023 elections.
Led by Dr Moses Paul, the protesters who displayed placards with several anti INEC and APC inscriptions, accused Prof. Mahmood Yakubu of playing games with the conduct of the 2023 general elections, while calling on the Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, to prevail on President Muhammadu Buhari to cancel the 2023 polls and replace the INEC chairman with a credible and competent person who would conduct fresh elections.
They also want the President to set in motion plans for the formation of an interim national government in case the judiciary is unable to conclude the presidential election petitions before May 29.
The street demonstration disrupted vehicular movement and caused heavy traffic gridlock on Shehu Shagari way in Abuja’s Central Business District for several hours.
Thursday’s protest is day 4 of protest by the Free Nigeria Movement, which began on Monday as they occupied he premises INEC, NASS with same message
As the Free Nigeria Movement protest was going on at the Court of Appeal, another group of protesters stormed the Unity Fountain in the Central Business District of the Federal Capital Territory, chanting anti INEC songs
The protesters who rejected the results declared by the Commission in the just concluded elections, kicked against the May 29 inauguration of the President-elect, Bola Tinubu, but asked the federal government to save Nigeria from the embarrassment by inaugurating an Interim National Government, ING.
The angry Nigerians, who protested under the aegis of of the National Youth League for the Defence of Democracy, NYLDD, also demanded the immediate sack and arrest of the Chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu by the Department Security Services, DSS.
The protesting youths also asked foreign embassies in Nigeria to place visa sanction on 15 INEC State Resident Electoral Commissioners who they accused of compromising their roles in the elections
The youths specifically called for visa sanctions against RECs of Lagos, Rivers, Borno, Zamfara, Niger, Jigawa, Kano and Imo. Others are Ebonyi, Ekiti, Ogun, Oyo, Cross River, Kaduna, Katsina and Edo States.
“We are citizens of Nigeria, lovers of Nigeria, standing on the path of our constitution and citizens’ rights.
“People were burnt in Kano, people were shot in Rivers, and we have seen the greatest inhumanity happen in Lagos state in the course of this election.
“Two demands we are making; we are asking the President of this country to immediately arrest and prosecute the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, who has committed the greatest fraud in the history of humanity. We need him arrested and prosecuted.
“Our number two demand is that we are asking that an interim government be put in place. We are saying that, because we do not want President Muhammadu Buhari to continue, his tenure is ending, so as a father he should put in place an interim government so that the interim government will now appoint another INEC chairman who will conduct a free and credible election and produce a befitting President for our country.
“We are here as frustrated Nigerians and the fundamental rights of Nigerians have been trampled upon by Mahmood Yakubu-led INEC and we are calling for his immediate resignation and arrest.
“We have been to the US Embassy, we have been to the British Council in Nigeria, and we have also submitted a letter to the French Embassy, calling on them to advise the Nigerian government that the Nigerian people are not happy.
“We the young people of this country are not happy over what is happening in our country. We may be peaceful now but when you push even a goat to the wall, the goat may bite,” co-conveners, Anngu Orngu.
Also in Lafia, Nasarawa state, the protest by women against the declaration of Governor Abdulahi Sule as re-elected by INEC has entered its day four.
In continuation of the protest, the women who turned up in their hundreds, have remained resolute as they rejected what they described as a broad day robbery of the peoples’ mandate by the Independent National Electoral Commission in connivance with the ruling All Progressives Congress(APC).
The protest, though peaceful, took another dimension as the women went half naked along the streets of the state capital, wailing and crying in total displeasure with the governorship election result announced by INEC, through Professor Tanko Ishaya, the election’s returning officer.
The protesting women called on INEC to cancel and review the governorship election result in the state, insisting that the PDP governorship candidate, David Ombugadu won the March 18 polls as against Governor Sule who was declared by INEC.
Meanwhile, Govermor Abdullahi Sule has warned against protests, stressing that his government would not tolerate moves by any religion or tribe to truncate democracy in the state.
This is as the PDP governorship candidate in the state, David Ombugadu, has admonished his supporter and PDP faithful to remain calm.