Governors who are members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the National Working Committee (NWC), Board of Trustees (BoT), National Executive Committee (NEC) and supporters of the leading opposition party have resolved to stage a peaceful protest over the outcome of the February 25, presidential and National Assembly elections.
The protest is to be led by the party’s National Chairman, Dr Iyorchia Ayu, to the headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Abuja today.
The PDP had called for the cancellation of the elections, alleging irregularities, but INEC announced the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, as the winner of the presidential poll.
Candidate of the PDP, Atiku Abubakar, who came second according to the results announced by INEC, is however challenging the outcome of the poll in court.
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According to an invitation for the protest signed by the Director of Administration on behalf of the Director General of the PDP Presidential Campaign Organisation and Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, former senate presidents, David Mark and Bukola Saraki; People Living With Disabilities (PLWDs), campaign council members and the vice presidential candidate of the party, Ifeanyi Okowa, will be part of the protest.
Afenifere divided over Tinubu’s victory
Meanwhile, the announcement of Tinubu as president-elect has further divided the pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere.
The Publicity Secretary of the group, Comrade Jare Ajayi, had issued a statement on Friday congratulating Tinubu on his victory.
The statement from Ajayi came despite the endorsement of the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Mr Peter Obi, by Afenifere’s leader, Chief Ayo Adebanjo.
Adebanjo, in a chat with Daily Trust yesterday, said, “There is no Afenifere that congratulated Tinubu.”
Also speaking with Daily Trust yesterday, a chieftain of Afenifere and former Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Chief (Mrs) Bucknor Akerele, said, “He has no authority whatsoever to make such a statement because we are supporting Obi, and Obi has already gone to court. So, how can we be congratulating Bola Tinubu?”
However, Pa Reuben Fasoranti has also congratulated Tinubu on his victory in the just concluded presidential election and advised the president-elect to avoid the mistakes made by his predecessors by ensuring that every ethnic group was carried along under his administration.
The Chairman of Afenifere Renewal Group, Hon Wale Oshun, who spoke with Daily Trust yesterday, also hailed Tinubu for his victory, saying his emergence showed that he was widely accepted across the country.
