A Coalition of Civil Society Groups, on Thursday, staged a peaceful protest at the office of the European Union (EU) in Abuja over the report on the 2023 general election.
The protesters under the aegis of Coalition of Civil Society Organization and Political Parties for Good Governance (CCSOPPGG) picketed at the office to express their disapproval.
The EU, in its report, faulted the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for discrepancies during the general polls which witnessed voter suppression, widespread violence, lack of adherance to its own (INEC) guidelines of uploading results in real time amongst other operational challenges and glitches.
Worried by the effect the report may have on the nation, protesters, who were seen with several placards carrying different inscriptions, matched through the Central Area to the European Union’s headquarters in the Federal Capital Territory.
Addressing some EU officials during the demonstration, CCSOPPGG leader, Lillian Ogbole, said though elections are not perfect anywhere in the world, the election that produced President Bola Tinubu was “transparent”.
She said the EU report could trigger chaos, adding that the country’s sovereignty and security are at stake.
Lilian said; “We were taken aback when the report came, the media was awash with the report of the EU carefully and specifically saying that the election was fraudulent and that the election felt short of requirements of every credible election in the world.
“I don’t know where that one is coming from. If it is the election that we were all part of, that we all fought vigorously with our lives and everything we have as patriots and well-meaning Nigerians to ensure that the election was held, if it is the same election that the EU spoke about, then it means that something is fishy somewhere.
“You would also agree with me that the report of the EU is enough to trigger a national problem, is enough to trigger a national chaos, our security is at stake, our sovereignty is at stake, our unity is at stake.”
Officials of the union promised to relay the message of the protesters to the Union, the group took their leave.
Also, the Federal Government, on Sunday, rejected the EU’s report on the 2023 general elections, describing the conclusions of the EU Electoral Observer Mission as “jaundiced”.
“We urge the EU and other foreign interests to be objective in all their assessments of the internal affairs of our country and allow Nigeria to breathe,” Dele Alake, the Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Special Duties, Communications and Strategy said in a statement.
