Protest In Nigeria After the 2023 Election

Post created on 11:17 am

Scores of protesters under the aegis of The Natives took to the streets of the Federal Capital Territory on Monday to warn opposition parties and critics calling for an interim government not to truncate the nation’s democracy.

They have expressed their support for the National Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, and denounced calls for his resignation on the grounds of a ‘stolen mandate’ as mischievous.

This vote of confidence comes in the aftermath of a similar demonstration that took place at the Unity Fountain in Abuja four days earlier, where protesters under the umbrella of the National Youth League for Defence of Democracy demanded the immediate arrest and prosecution of Yakubu over their alleged dissatisfaction with the conduct of the 2023 elections.

The group, which called for the cancellation of the polls, also appealed to President Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) to institute an interim government before leaving office on May 29.

But while marching through the streets of Abuja on their way to the INEC office on Monday, The Natives vowed to resist any attempt to install an interim government in place of a proper handover to the President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.

The Coordinator of the group, Smart Edwards, spoke to journalists, urging both the President and the international community to disregard the call for the cancellation of the election.

He argued that Nigeria could not afford a repeat of the presidential election debacle experienced on June 12.

Edwards further stated that there was no mandate theft, and suggested that opposition parties may not have mobilized and connected with Nigerians effectively, or that their members may have worked against the party’s interests.

The recent suspension of the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, who had campaigned for the party, was cited as an example of democracy in action.