Presidential poll: Echoes of Interim National Government as fresh protests rock Abuja

BY ORIAKU IJELE

Barely one month after the presidential polls, the dust from the exercise is yet to settle as Abuja, the capital city, was on Thursday, engulfed by fresh protests, demanding among other things the immediate sack of the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Mahmood Yakubu and the constitution of an Interim National Government, ING, which would appoint a new helmsman at INEC to conduct a credible and acceptable elections for the generality of Nigerians.

The protesters are calling on President Muhammadu Buhari to do this before leaving office on May 29.

Under the aegis: National Youth League for the Defence of Democracy (NYLDD), the protesters are also asking for the immediate arrest of the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, by the Directorate of State Security Service (DSS). Armed with placards with various inscriptions, the protesters asked the Nigerian government not only to sack Prof. Yakubu but also probe the finances of the electoral empire.

Led by Dr. Moses Paul, the protesters assembled at the Unity Fountain, Abuja, where the grounds for their grouse were explained thus: “We are citizens of Nigeria, lovers of Nigeria, standing on the part of our constitution and citizens’ rights, we are here particularly to address the greatest crime that has happened in the history of the world and in Nigeria. People were burnt in Kano, people were shot in Rivers, we have seen the greatest inhumanity happened in Lagos State in the course of this election.

“Two demands we are making; we are asking the President of this country to arrest immediately 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 be prosecuted.

“Our number two demand is that we are asking for 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.”

Another leader of the group, Anngu Orngu explained that the protesters would explore every civil and lawful means to pursue their purpose. He said: “We are here as frustrated Nigerians and the fundamental rights of Nigerians have been trampled upon by Mahmood Yakubu-led INEC and we are here calling for his immediate resignation, we have also requested that DSS should arrest him, and he should be prosecuted by the EFCC.

We are calling on DSS to arrest Mahmood immediately, the EFCC should investigate him and we are also calling on the Nigerian Judiciary because those concerned are already in court, particularly the presidential election of February 25th, we are calling on the judges in Nigeria that we want justice to prevail.

We have been to the US Embassy, we have been to the British Council in Nigeria, and we have also submitted 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,” he said.

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The protesters have also petitioned the United States Embassy, calling for sanctions against the INEC chairman. Partly the letter reads: “These criminal actions of Prof. Mahmood Yakubu have led to the dampening of the revived spirits of youths who in anticipation of a country that works for all, turned out in their large numbers to vote, some for the first time in their lives, for their preferred candidates only to be greeted with violence and subversion of their collective will.

“Based on the foregoing, we pray your good offices to amongst other appropriate sanctions, withdraw the visas of Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, all the Resident Electoral Commissioners of states where these infractions were prevalent”.