Civil rights organisations backing the Julius Abure-led Labour Party faction have taken to the streets in Abuja, marching towards the headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to express their frustration over the exclusion of their candidates from the upcoming bye-elections.
The demonstrators, who stormed the INEC premises around 11:00 am on Wednesday, wielded placards bearing bold inscriptions such as “INEC, who is using you against LP,” “Mahmood stop destroying democracy in Nigeria,” and “Tell INEC to obey court orders,” among others.
The peaceful protest, aimed at drawing attention to what the protesters consider to be a breach of democratic and judicial norms, was marked by chants, songs, and symbolic displays calling for the reinstatement of Labour Party candidates whose names were allegedly removed from the official INEC list.
Many of the participating groups are civil society organisations advocating electoral fairness and judicial compliance. They argued that the continued exclusion of Labour Party candidates runs contrary to existing court rulings affirming their legitimacy.
“We are here to insist that INEC respects the rule of law and restores the names of Labour Party candidates as mandated by the courts,” a protester declared.
okay.ng reports that the protest disrupted traffic around the area as security operatives worked to ensure order. More details are expected to emerge as the situation unfolds.
