By Suleiman Adamu, Sokoto
Members under the auspices of the opposition coalition of political parties in their hundreds on Wednesday afternoon , staged a peaceful protest rally in Sokoto , demanding the immediate removal of INEC’s Chairman, Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan from office.
The protesters, mostly youths ( male and females) from the various opposition political platforms and some members of the NURTW, Association of commercial tricycle and motorcycles besieged INEC office .
The protesters under the coalition comprised members of LP, PDP, ADC , NNPP among others who marched from the Federal Secretariat building along Kaduna road to the INEC office on Tangaza road with placards carrying various inscriptions chanting “Amupitan must go.”!
” The ballot is our blood, Amupitan is a vampire” , “Amupitan should resign before the Streets resigns him ” ,
Expressing their grievances over what they described as extreme intimidation and caging the democratic rights of opposition, the protesters who besieged INEC’s office , insisted that Nigerians must rise to the challenge occasioned by deliberate injustice, blaming the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s led federal government.
A youth vocalist and main spokesman who led the protest on behalf of the coalition, Comrade Yusuf Abubakar and one Sabiu Yusuf Gada while presenting to INEC a two point demand urging Professor Amupitan to resign or the the Tinubu led federal government to remove him , said their grievances were clear and explicitly in tune with the voices of patriotic Nigerians.
” We the youths and Nigerians are alive watching how democracy is being undermined in the country.”
Comrade Abubakar urged the federal government must do something urgently.
” Federal government must endorse Amupitan’s expulsion or he resigns himself voluntarily to save our 27 years democracy”, he declared.
He said the protest was a deliberate and necessary step to identify and show solidarity with the Nigerian youths yearnings and aspirations for acceptable democracy ahead of the 2027 general elections.
However, receiving the protesters at the entrance gate under tight security on behalf of the REC, a top official of the commission and H.O.D, General Administration and Procurement , Mr Yahaya Tanko acknowledged the peaceful nature of the protest while noting that their message was heard.
” We have collected your letter containing all your grievances and it will be passed to the appropriate quarters accordingly “
