Be good losers, protesters at INEC HQ tell PDP, LP

A group known as The Natives has cautioned the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Labour Party (LP) against inciting citizens.

Both parties are in court challenging the victory of Bola Tinubu, president-elect and candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Recently, Datti Baba-Ahmed, vice-presidential candidate of LP, said Tinubu should not be sworn in May because there is no president-elect.

Speaking with reporters at the entrance of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) headquarters in Abuja on Monday, Smart Edwards, leader of the group, said citizens have a right to protest but they should not do so to the detriment of others.

“We want to particularly warn the LP vice presidential candidate, Datti Ahmed, to apply caution because Nigeria is a country and not Base University,” Edwards said.

“We have come to INEC to affirm that elections were conducted and APC, PDP, NNPP, LP, and other political parties went into the contest.

“Some people have been going round the country inciting other people, calling for a taboo, they are calling for an interim national government that will never happen, not in Nigeria, not in any African country that we support.

“We want to tell you (INEC) that people have the rights to protest.  Whosoever they are, they are citizens with such rights, but they do not have the right to provoke the voters.

“It is a taboo for anybody under any influence of alcohol or any other substance to rise up and call for an interim government in this nation when we still have INEC intact.

“As far as we are concerned, we are asking the aggrieved people to leave INEC out of their frustration. They lost the election and they should be good losers, or go to court if they cannot handle it and wait for the supreme court. Do not intimidate the CJN, don’t intimidate the security forces, and stop threatening democracy.

“I want to affirm that Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Kashim Shettima’s ticket scored the highest votes as informed to everyone at the National Collation Centre. The votes were counted in  8 million plus, and was declared winner, having won about 29 states.”

Addressing the protesters, Lebari Nduh, INEC’s director of security, said the commission would continue to be guided by the law.

“Your message will be delivered to the chairman,” Nduh said after he received a letter from Edwards.