2023 Presidential Poll: Atiku, PDP Govs, Leaders Protest At INEC
- Blast Commission for aiding and abetting electoral fraud
BY SEGUN ADEBAYO – Making good their threat of a peaceful protest against the February 25 presidential election outcome in which the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu of All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner, leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Monday stormed the Commission’s headquarters to officially deliver their letter of complaints.
Tagged ‘Black Uniform’ protest, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, his running mate, Ifeanyi Okowa the PDP National Chairman, Senator Iyorchia Ayu and Director General of the Party’s Presidential Campaign Council and Governor of Sokoto State, Aminu Tambuwal led other leaders as well as teeming supporters to register their anger at the electoral umpire over its conduct of the polls and the defective results released thereafter.
Gathering at the popular Legacy House Maitama, the PDP leaders and members in their hundreds marched to the INEC National Headquarters located at Zambezi Crescent in Maitama, Abuja. where the presidential flag bearer, Atiku told journalists that the protest would continue every day or every other day to give voice to their complaints.
The former Vice President said; “We are protesting and we have every right to protest. It doesn’t stop us from going to court. The fact is that we are protesting.”
According to the Wazirin Adamawa; “We will protest for a very long time. Either everyday or every other day.”
However, after a long wait at the Commission’s entrance, the INEC National Commissioner and Chairman, Voter Education and Publicity, Festus Okoye, emerged to receive the protest letter from the PDP National Chairman, Dr Ayu.
Also conveying their mission at the Commission’s headquarters through the media, the former National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan said the protest march does not distract the main opposition party from pursuing its case legally at the Tribunal.
He said the protest is to publicly register their disappointment and alert the global community that INEC superintended over the most flawed and fraudulent elections ever conducted in the country by an electoral umpire.
Aside from the governors elected on the PDP platform, other party stalwarts that participated in the protest included former National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus; former Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki; former PDP National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, and Spokespersons of the Campaign Council, Daniel Bwacha and Senator Dino Melaye, among others.
