Posted by By FRANCIS AWOWOLE-BROWNE and MURPHY GANAGANA Abuja, RAZAQ BAMIDELE, KAYODE FASUA Lagos, TONY ICHEKU Maiduguri on
Government moved Monday to avert the planned protest by civil society groups and some opposition parties against the flawed general elections, as it beefed up security in strategic places in Abuja, in furtherance of its warning that it would not allow protests in the capital city and would deal decisively with any politician or groups who threaten peace and security.
Government moved Monday to avert the planned protest by civil society groups and some opposition parties against the flawed general elections, as it beefed up security in strategic places in Abuja, in furtherance of its warning that it would not allow protests in the capital city and would deal decisively with any politician or groups who threaten peace and security.
To demonstrate its resolve to ward off any plan aimed at protesting the election, the State Security Services (SSS) Monday afternoon picked up Mr. Emma Ezeazu, the Secretary-General of the Alliance for Credible Election (ACE), the body under whose platform the civil society groups were coordinating the scheduled protest which coincided with the May Day.
Also, some 200 All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) supporters from Yobe State were arrested by the police on their way to Abuja for the public demonstration.
The Inspector General of Police, Sunday Ehindero at a press sbriefing in Abuja Monday threatened that his men would forcefully crush any demonstration or march, outside designated venue of the May Day celebration.
The clampdown on the civil society groups came just as the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) dissociated itself from any protest by any group against the elections saying it has neither entered into an arrangement, nor taken any decision on protest against the election.
Ironically, the Action Congress (AC), one of the parties to the planned mass action, in a message of solidarity saluted the "long suffering workers," for their perseverance, and urged them to be steadfast in the concerted efforts to liberate them from the "yoke of the past eight years."
But the wind would appear to have been taken from the sails of the pro-demonstration movement as opposition mounts against the planned exercise.
Among those who kicked against it are the presidential candidate of the National Action Council (NAC), Dr Olapade Agoro, a Borno State-based cleric, Sheik Sherrif Ibrahim Saleh and the south west zone of the Campaign for Democracy (CD) who at different fora warned that it might not achieve the desired objectives.
Addressing newsmen on Monday in Abuja, the IGP said he had already instructed all state commissioners of police not to allow labour leaders to embark on public protests or other forms of procession outside of the designated places for the May Day celebration, warning that "we will use tear gas to disperse them if they go outside the officially designated places for their rallies."
Reminding labour and members of the public that the Public Order Act is still in force, Ehindero said the police has beefed up security in all parts of the country to forestall a break-down of law and order and to stop all unauthorized protests.
According to him: "Of course, they will hold their rallies, but that will be restricted to the designated places. I have instructed my state commissioners not to allow anybody hold any procession outside these places and we shall use tear gas to disperse them and then, if the need arises, increase the force to stop them from breaking the law."
Similarly, the FCT police commissioner, Mr. Lawrence Alobi, also warned that police permit had not been granted to anybody to hold a mass protest in the nation's capital and its environs.
In a statement issued Monday and signed by the FCT police spokesman, Elisha Atikinkpan (ASP), the command warned that the police will not fold its arms and watch some persons foment trouble under whatever guise.
Atikinkpan confirmed the arrest of about 200 ANPP members who he said, were moving into Abuja from Yobe State in 32 vehicles, but were stopped by a team of anti-riot policemen at Nyanya, in the outskirts of Abuja, where they are being held at the police station.
"When we got information that such a large number of people were coming into Abuja, we placed our men on stand-by and stopped them at the Nasarawa-Abuja border. They claimed to be coming to the ANPP national headquarters to protest over the governor-elect in Yobe State. But since we cannot take chances, we are taking the statements in writing, to be able to establish their real motive of coming to Abuja," he told Daily Sun on telephone.
About 10 heavily armed SSS men in three cars, reportedly stormed the Area 11 Abuja office of the organisation at about 2pm and effected the arrest of the ACE scribe, Ezeazu, who coordinated the meeting last Friday, during which decisions to embark on the protests against the elections results and international campaign for non- recognition of the President-elect, Alhaji Musa Yar'Adua was reached.
Mr. Emma Ugboaja, the ACE Director of Mobilization and Advocacy confirmed to Daily Sun, the arrest of the Alliance boss saying members of the group have not been allowed access to Ezeazu.
He explained that the SSS men told them that they were picking the Secretary-General for producing subversive documents and that they also went away with some posters and placards produced for the purpose of the May Day protest.
Speaking to Daily Sun on the planned May Day protest, General-Secretary of NLC, Mr. John Odah, denied that the congress was part of it, noting that the labour movement had a process of embarking on protest rallies.
He stated that all the NLC and its affiliate unions had declared the day purely for May Day celebration as they do annually. "What we have is May Day not a protest, there is no way we will be celebrating the workers day and we will be holding protest rallies, we are not part of that," he added.
But the Buhari Organisation (TBO) said Monday that it would go ahead with the planned protests despite warning by the police that it would deal decisively with protesters.
Mr.Osita Okechekwu, the spokesperson of the Buhari group, stated that nothing would stop them from using the occasion to protest the rape of the peoples' wish, which he said the last elections represented.
"Where there is a will there is a way, nothing will stop us," Okechukwu told Daily Sun.
Addressisng a world press conference in Lagos Monday, the NAC boss, who spoke on behalf of the Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP) said that "dialogue and not protest can do the magic. The so called peaceful protest may go out of hand to become violent and thereby escalate the already bad situation," he stated.
According to Agoro, a round table conference to be presided over by retired Justice Muhammed Uwais and Kayode Esho that would fashion out a Conscientious National Government (CNG) that would eventually organise free and fair elections for this country is desirable. He described the last election as a sham and national disgrace.
Although the South west zone of the CD agreed with Agoro over stay of action on the planned protest, it disagreed vehemently over any form of interim arrangement, advising all aggrieved contestants to go to the tribunal to seek redress.
Speaking with newsmen after its South West meeting in Akure, Ondo State, the chairman of the zone Mr Ifeanyi Odili stated that "at the end of our meeting today (Monday) we all came to the conclusion that canceling of the last elections is not in the best interest of the nation" wondering what results could be achieved in "asking our young ones and leaders of tomorrow to take to the streets only for them to be killed by trigger-happy policemen?!"
Speaking in the same vein, Islamic scholar, Sheikh Saleh pointed out that "the planned protest can only take the country backward" reminding that "similar actions in the past had ended up creating more problems than solutions for the country."
The AC in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed said: "But we call on our indefatigable workers not to succumb to hopelessness or helplessness, in the face of the daunting challenges thrown up by the brazen and criminal manipulations of what was meant to be the most crucial elections in the country's history.
We also call on them to remain calm in the face of the obvious provocation which the massive rigging of the elections represent, and to eschew violence so as not to give this sadistic administration any chance to achieve its evil desire. In spite of the massive setback that the rigged elections represent, it is important for us not to jettison our belief that democracy offers the best chance for our country, Nigeria, to achieve its God-given potentials.
"Our party, the Action Congress, in collaboration with other progressive forces under the aegis of ‘Nigerians United for Democracy (NUD), is determined that the charade general elections will not stand."
It added: "We will ensure this through a combination of legal, constitutional and political processes in the days ahead, hence we solicit your total and unflinching support for the ongoing push for the cancellation of the sham elections, which local and international observers have described as the worst elections ever held in the country, and perhaps in the world.
"The elections cannot and will not stand because they fell far short of the standards set by Nigeria itself in the previous elections, and of course because they failed to meet regional and international criteria for free, fair and credible polls…
"As you join workers around the world to mark this Day, we call on you to spare a thought for all the suffering masses of our people and to remain committed to a concerted effort to liberate them from their oppressors."