A group of protesters under the aegis of The Natives has warned the presidential candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Atiku Abubakar and the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, against intimidating judiciary and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) over their grievances regarding the recently conducted presidential election.
The Natives hinged its warning against the backdrop of various protests against the outcome of the presidential election which saw Bola Tinubu emerged the President-elect.
Both candidates of the PDP and the LP have rejected the results, accusing INEC of manipulation, even as protests were taken to the INEC headquarters.
But protesting what they tagged intimidation of INEC and judiciary during a Thank-you walk to the presidential Villa, Monday in Abuja, The Natives , led by its Supreme Leader, Hon. Smart Edwards, said the supporters of APC and the President-elect will no longer take lightly the intimidation by the supporters of Obi (Obidients) and that of Atiku.
Edwards said if both parties and their candidates have grievances against the results as declared by the INEC they should go to court instead of threatening the peace of the Nation and her democratic process.
The rally which had Representatives of National Association of the Nigeria Students (NANS) and other various youths groups in attendance caused a gridlock around Federal Secretariat to Presidential Villa on Monday.
Edwards who described PDP as a National Rigging Organisation, said: “The Obidients should understand that Asiwaju is a political juggernaut and election strategist. They were all part of the plan because the candidature of Peter Obi was an asset to the APC. The Obidients made Tinubu’s victory easy, they all made it possible. Ordinarilyy, it should have been Obi or Tinubu. Tinubu was not in the best position to steal the election but he planned well and worked vigorously for the victory.
“We also have a message for the PDP candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar; Your Excellency, it is your time to test the court and not to intimidate the court. It is your time to retreat and retire, or reset and re-contest again if your party is not tired of you.
“Your inability to be consistent in a party like Bola Ahmed Tinubu, shows it is all about you alone. No sir, the Supreme Court is not about you, the Appeal Court is not about you, even the Tribunal is not about you, it is about rule of law.
“So, today we are putting the Nation on notice that no one will be allowed to intimidate the Nigerian Judiciary any longer, we will not entertain it. These judges and the judiciary are the most crucial party of the hope that the democracy holds.
“We want to say categorically that Bola Ahmed Tinubu of APC won the election. The Lagos state he lost should have been a taboo but the Democrat in him publicly accepted the outcome without calling for anybody’s head.”
While commending INEC for a job well done , The Natives supreme leader said no election all over the world is devoid of hitches.
He alleged that some PDP elements made efforts to bribe some INEC officials without success.
“INEC must be allowed to do their work without molestation. Nobody is talking about the recorded voices of the PDP players which went viral recently where they were scheming to bribe or corner the INEC officials.
“To INEC, therefore, you have done well. Please go ahead with the conduct of Saturday’s governorship election as we look forward to a large turnout rather than apathy we witnessed during the presidential election.”
The group also commended President Muhammadu Buhari for allowing a free, fair and credible election that produced the President-elect, Bola Tinubu.
Edwards, while appealing for cooperation to move Nigeria forward, also called on all Nigerians to give the President-elect Tinubu a chance to reset the country in a way that will benefit all and sundry.
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