Hundreds of supporters of Nigerian President-elect Asiwaju Bola Tinubu took to the streets on Saturday in a thank-you walk to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
They declared their intent to mobilize 20 million Nigerians against any agitation for an Interim National Government (ING) in place of the May 29 inauguration of Tinubu.
The protesters, under the name The Natives, said that their 20 million members across the country would resist any form of intimidation and threat against democracy in Nigeria and supporters of the legitimate President-elect.
Speaking to journalists outside INEC headquarters in Abuja, Smart Edwards, the leader of the group, cautioned politicians to stop inciting Nigerians against the democratic process.
He specifically warned the Vice Presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) and Baze University founder, Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed, against making inflammatory statements.
Edwards went on to praise INEC for standing firm against intimidation, propaganda, and all forms of blackmail by “bad losers.”
The Natives leader also called on aggrieved individuals to leave INEC out of their frustrations and not intimidate the CJN, the security forces, or threaten democracy.
Responding to the group’s prepared letter addressed to the INEC chairman, the Commission’s Director of Security, Lebari Sam Nduh, assured The Natives that INEC would continue to play its constitutional roles without bias or favor.
The Natives’ message was clear: Nigeria is one indivisible country, and everyone should work together to change it.
As such, they urged aggrieved individuals to either be good losers or go to court if they cannot handle it and wait for the Supreme Court.
