…By Lola Smith for TDPel Media.
Former Kaduna Central lawmaker, Senator Shehu Sani, has strongly criticized the protesters who gathered at the EU office in Abuja on Thursday to express their dissatisfaction with the organization’s report on the 2023 election in Nigeria.
In his reaction on Friday, Sani condemned the protesters, stating that they lack conscience and are representative of the deep-rooted issues that have plagued the Nigerian system.
Background on Protest against EU Report
The protest at the EU office in Abuja was a response to the release of the EU’s report on the 2023 presidential election.
Supporters of President Bola Tinubu gathered at the national secretariat of the European Union, under the umbrella of the Coalition of Civil Society Organization and Political Parties for Good Governance, to express their discontent with the EU’s findings.
Details of the Protest
The demonstrators, carrying banners, marched from the National Hospital to the EU office, chanting President Bola Tinubu’s popular campaign anthem, ‘On your mandate.’
They demanded to meet with the European Union Ambassador to Nigeria, Ms Samuela Isopi, and the Deputy Head of the EU to Nigeria, Alexandre Borges-Gomes.
The presence of the protesters led to increased security measures, with armed operatives securing the perimeter.
Coalition Coordinator Criticizes EU Report
Dr Ene Ogbole, the coordinator of the coalition, addressed reporters outside the EU secretariat and criticized the report.
She claimed that it was a deliberate attempt to create chaos in the country.
Ogbole questioned the EU’s decision to present the report to the Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal, emphasizing that every election worldwide faces unique challenges.
She argued that drawing conclusions from a limited number of polling units would not accurately reflect the entire electoral process in the country.
Senator Sani’s Disapproval of the Protesters’ Actions
Senator Shehu Sani voiced his disapproval of the protesters’ actions, considering them to be hollow and futile.
He referred to them as conscienceless Abuja protest merchants, highlighting the deep-rooted problems in the country.
Sani emphasized that the EU report should be seen as a guiding compass to help Nigeria improve its political system, rather than being met with protests.
In a tweet, Senator Sani stated, “The protest in front of the EU Embassy in Abuja over the election report is a hollow and futile noise of conscienceless Abuja protest merchants.
They are masquerades of the decadence in our country.
The EU report is a compass that should guide us to perfect our system.”