Protesters from various states of the federation on Thursday stormed Abuja demanding the resignation of the Chairman of INEC, Prof Mahmood Yakubu, over the violence that characterised the February 25, presidential and National Assembly polls.
Recall that violence, snatching of ballot papers and boxes and shootings took place in some states during the elections.
The co-convener of the protest, Anngu Orngu, said some youths who came out to vote for the first time were disenfranchised sequel to the violence that characterised the polls.
He said, “We are harmless Nigerians, but we will use every civil and lawful means to make sure that our demands are met. We are here as frustrated Nigerians as the fundamental rights of Nigerians have been trampled upon, and we are here calling for the immediate resignation of INEC Chairman, Prof Mahmood Yakubu.”
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Another leader of the protesters under the umbrella of the National Youth League for the Defence of Democracy (NYLDD), Dr Moses Paul, said, “People were burnt in Kano, people were shot in Rivers; we have seen the greatest inhumanity happen in Lagos State in the course of these elections.”
In a letter addressed to the United States Embassy and Consulate, the protesters said, “The conduct of the elections is in non-compliance with the extant legal framework.”
Similarly, some women in Kaduna State yesterday staged a peaceful protest to show their displeasure over the declaration of the candidate of the ruling APC, Senator Uba Sani, as the winner of last Saturday’s governorship election.
The women, therefore, called on INEC to review the results of the election, saying it was their stolen mandate.
Daily Trust reports that the women stormed the Kaduna State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, (NUJ) in black attires carrying placards with inscriptions such as “Restore our mandate” and “Give us who we voted.”
