From Umar Danladi Ado, Sokoto
Members of opposition political parties and youth organisations staged a peaceful protest rally in Sokoto, demanding the immediate removal of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Chairman, Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan, from office.
The aggrieved protesters, mostly youths, both male and female drawn from various opposition political platforms, alongside some members of the NURTW, the Association of Commercial Tricycle Operators, and motorcyclists, besieged the INEC office.
The protesters, under a coalition comprising members of the LP, PDP, ADC, NNPP, among others, marched from the Federal Secretariat along Kaduna Road to the INEC office on Tangaza Road, carrying placards with various inscriptions and chanting, “Amupitan must go!”
Some of the placards read: “The ballot is our blood, Amupitan is a vampire” and “Amupitan should resign before the streets resign him.”
Expressing their grievances over what they described as extreme intimidation and the suppression of the opposition’s democratic rights, the protesters insisted that Nigerians must rise to confront what they termed deliberate injustice, blaming the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led Federal Government.
A youth activist and main spokesman of the coalition, Comrade Yusuf Abubakar, alongside Sabiu Yusuf Gada, presented a two-point demand to INEC, urging Professor Amupitan to resign or be removed by the Tinubu-led Federal Government.
He said their grievances were clear and reflected the concerns of patriotic Nigerians.
“We, the youths and Nigerians, are alive and watching how democracy is being undermined in the country,” he said.
Comrade Abubakar urged the Federal Government to act urgently.
“The Federal Government must ensure Amupitan’s removal, or he should resign voluntarily to save our 27-year-old democracy,” he declared.
He added that the protest was a deliberate and necessary step to show solidarity with the yearnings and aspirations of Nigerian youths for credible democracy ahead of the 2027 general elections.
However, receiving the protesters at the entrance gate under tight security on behalf of the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), a top official of the commission and Head of Department, General Administration and Procurement, Mr. Yahaya Tanko, acknowledged the peaceful conduct of the protest and assured them that their message had been received.
“We have collected your letter containing all your grievances, and it will be forwarded to the appropriate quarters,” he said.
