Protesters loyal to Bola Tinubu, Nigeria’s president-elect, on Monday grounded vehicular and human traffic around the Federal Secretariat to the Presidential Villa in the Central Business District of Abuja, warning the presidential candidates of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, and Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, against organising any anti-Tinubu or federal government protests.
The group known as “The Natives” also cautioned the PDP and LP presidential candidates against intimidating the judiciary and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in expressing grievances over the recently conducted presidential election.
Asked what they intend to do should they mobilise their supporters to protest against the outcome of the presidential election that produced president-elect, Bola Tinubu, the protesters warned that they will match any anti-protesters strength for strength.
Speaking to newsmen during the protest they tagged intimidation of INEC and judiciary and a thank-you walk to the Presidential Villa, the protesters, led by its supreme leader, Smart Edwards, insisted that they will no longer take lightly the intimidation from Obidients and Atikulated supporters.
“If they decide to protest instead of taking up the court option, we will clash, we will clash, I say we will clash. This is our government and we will not take any rubbish. If you are not interested in this government, the option left for you is to go and sleep.
“The Atiku and Obi supporters should not even try coming out to protest again because we will clash with them. Nobody should come out to intimidate us. They have to go to the court and wait for whatever decision the court took. PDP is a beneficiary of the judiciary, Obi is also a beneficiary of the Supreme Court.
“Buhari is also a beneficiary of the Supreme Court. We advise Atiku and Obi to seek redress in court instead of mobilising people to the street to protest, but if they go ahead to organise protesters, we will clash and it will be a clash like no other,” the supreme leader warned.
Speaking further, Edwards cautioned that if both parties and their candidates have grievances against the results as declared by INEC they should go to court instead of threatening the peace of the country and her democratic process.
The rally had Representatives of the National Association of Nigeria Students (NANS) and other various youths groups in attendance.
While describing PDP as a National Rigging Organisation, Edwards 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.
“Ordinarily, 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 victory. We also have a message for the PDP candidate, Atiku, 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 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 part of the hope that democracy holds.
“We want to say categorically that Bola Tinubu of APC won the election. The Lagos state he lost should have been a taboo, but the democrat in him, he publicly accepted the outcome without calling for anybody’s head,” the protesters noted.
The Natives equally commended INEC for a job well done, stressing that no election all over the world is devoid of hitches.
“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,” he said.