A former vice-president and presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Atiku Abubakar is leading other party leaders on a protest march to the headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Abuja.
The protest is a sequel to the party’s unsuccessful attempt to stop the process of collation and announcement of the results of the presidential election by the National Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Professor Mahmood Yakubu.
Having failed, the PDP had served notice that it was going to challenge the outcome of the presidential poll in the court, which Atiku said was greatly flawed.
While the court option has yet to crystallise, the PDP has now taken to the street in protest all in an effort to flog a dead horse on the matter that has been considered closed, but of course still open for judicial intercession.
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But the PDP appears to be adopting all approaches, perhaps, knowing full well that the battle for reclamation of mandate once the president-elect steps in the saddle is always tantamount to a situation of wanting to remove the mountain of Gibraltar.
Atiku arrived at Legacy House meeting point for the protest march about 11am, where he joined other PDP leaders, members, and supporters for the event.
The protest march, which took off about 11:10 am, was joined by the PDP national chairman, Dr Iyorchia Ayu, and other members of the National Working Committee (NWC).
Also participating in the protest were the chairman of the PDP Board of Trustees (BoT), Senator Adolphus Wabara; Sokoto State governor, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal; Chief Raymond Dokpesi; former Adamawa State Governor, Boni Haruna, among other party chieftains.
The protest march, which will terminate at INEC headquarters, is ongoing.
INEC on March 1 announced Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) winner with 8,794,726 votes, followed by PDP candidate Atiku Abubakar (6,984,520), and Labour Party (LP) Peter Obi (6,101,533).
Atiku and Obi have both rejected the result and vowed to challenge it in court.
In preparation for the Abuja march, the PDP Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) Director of Administration on Sunday invited the party top brass to the march today.
“I am directed to respectfully invite your excellencies: The National Chairman, Dr Iyrochia Ayu, The Vice Presidential Candidate and Governor of Delta State, Dr Ifeanyichukwu Okowa, Governors of Akwa Ibom and Chairman of PCC, Mr Udom Emmanuel, Sokoto state and DG of PCC, Rt Hon Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, and Governors of Bayelsa, Edo, Adamawa, Bauchi, Taraba and Osun states.
“Former Senate Presidents, Senator David Mark and Senator Abubakar Bukola Saraki, BoT members, NEC members, the PDP Senators and House of Representatives Members, NWC members of the party, DDGs, Directors, Deputies and Assistant Directors of NCMC; Members of the PCC; leadership of People Living with Disabilities and all other stakeholders to a protest match to INEC office,’’ the memo read.
PDP Deputy National Publicity Secretary Ibrahim Abdullahi explained “it [the protest] is to register its grievances and disenchantment following the just concluded presidential and National Assembly elections.”
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