Image: News Direct.
Protesters in Abuja, Nigeria's capital on Thursday demanded the establishment of an interim government in Nigeria to take over power from President Mohammadu Buhari's administration.
The protesters, known as the National Youth League for the Defence of Democracy NYLDD also called for the arrest and prosecution of INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu for committing "the greatest fraud in the history of humanity,"
The NYLDD said they were frustrated at the outcome of Nigeria's recently held elections which they alleged contravened relevant legal provisions, News Direct reports.
They insisted that they would employ every legitimate means to ensure that their demands for an interim government and a new INEC Chairman were met.
Addressing journalists at the Unity Fountain where the protest started, one of the leaders of the protest, Dr. Moses Paul, said the task of the interim government would be to select a new INEC chairman and hold a new election to produce a suitable President for Nigeria.
He said; “We are citizens of Nigeria, lovers of Nigeria, standing on the path 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 Nigeria.
"People were burnt in Kano, people were shot in Rivers, and we have seen the greatest inhumanity happen in Lagos state in the course of this election.
“Two demands we are making; We are asking the President of this country to immediately arrest 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 prosecuted.
“Our number two demand is that we are asking that 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 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 protest, Anngu Orngu, lamented that INEC's activities during the elections violated the rights of many Nigerians. and urged Nigeria's Judiciary to redress the wrongs.
Image: News Direct.
Omgu disclosed that they had visited the embassies of the US, U.K., and France to express their dissatisfaction with the INEC and request for the withdrawal of visas of Prof. Yakubu and other errant INEC officials.
“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 also calling on the Nigerian Judiciary because those concerned are already in court, particularly the presidential election of February 25, 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 a 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 with 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,” Omgu warned.
A letter by the NYLDD protesters addressed to the United States Embassy, read in part; “The conduct of the elections is in substantial noncompliance with extant legal framework.
“These criminal actions of Prof. Mahmood Yakubu have led to the dampening of the revived spirit 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, particularly the RECs of Lagos, Rivers, Borno, Zamfara, Niger, Jigawa, Kano, Imo, Ebonyi, Ekiti, Ogun, Oyo, parts of Cross River, parts of Katsina and Edo States.”
Politics and Opinion.
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