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As the organised labour Tuesday marked this year's May Day amid pomp, the police effectively prevented civil society groups and the opposition parties, which had threatened to hold protest rallies to demonstrate their rejection of the state and presidential elections held last April 14, and 21 respectively.
• 80 pro-democracy activists arrested
As the organised labour Tuesday marked this year's May Day amid pomp, the police effectively prevented civil society groups and the opposition parties, which had threatened to hold protest rallies to demonstrate their rejection of the state and presidential elections held last April 14, and 21 respectively.
But the protest march held in some states, in defiance of the Inspector General of Police, Mr Sunday Ehindero's stern warning. However, these were short-lived as the police dispersed the demonstrators with teargas.
But in Lagos, the coalition of the opposition, Nigerians United for Democracy (NUD) claimed that it recorded huge success in the campaign.
It criticized the Federal Government's show of force in respect of the protest while explaining that contrary to reports in some quarters, it did not set out to call people into the streets, because it did not want to endanger their lives.
Both the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) who were jointly marking the day for the first time, reiterated their position that the general elections were massively rigged and therefore any government formed on the basis of the outcome of the elections would be politically and morally bankrupt and disabled.
The police made good its threat to stop with force any protest from any quarter as stern looking armed policemen led by the FCT Police Commissioner, Mr. Lawrence Alobi, manned strategic positions with armoured personnel carriers surrounding the Eagles Square venue of the Workers' Day celebrations.
The arrival of opposition political party leaders led by Chief Ben Obi, the vice-presidential candidate of the Action Congress (AC), Chief Edwin Ume-Ezeoke, National Chairman of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), Chief Tom Ikimi as well as several pro-democracy and human rights group members at the venue of the event initially raised hopes of a promise to be kept.
However, the combing of the venue by the policemen effectively checked whatever plan the groups must have put in place as they all maintained silence all through the duration of the programme.
An emergency press briefing scheduled to be addressed by the opposition leaders at the venue of the event, apparently to explain their frustration by the police could not take place.
Reacting to the police siege, Lagos lawyer, Mr Femi Falana, described it as the height of victimisation of the opposition, wondering why the government would not stop trampling upon the rights of the people to protest.
Said he: 'Those who make peaceful change impossible, would make violence inevitable. How can you beat a child and you still say he should not cry? The Public Order Act has been quashed by a court of law and the decision is still being challenged at the Appeal Court and not until the appellate court discharges that ruling, police cannot forbid anybody from protest in the name of Public Order Act."
NLC President, Mr. Abdulwaheed Omar in his address regretted that the 2007 elections, which was supposed to propel the country in its movement towards a truly democratic state, were characterised by rigging to which President Olusegun Obasanjo admitted.
Expressing worry that any government on the basis of the outcome of the flawed election will continue to carry the burden of unacceptability, he stated that the people had the duty to ensure that the country was not led again by people who have no mandate.
'Indeed, our country cannot make progress if its affairs are managed without the consent of its people, expressed through free and fair elections. Obviously our country is in a political logjam," he maintained, while disclosing that the congress was already making broad nationwide consultations with interest groups to fashion a way out of the crisis.
President Olusegun Obasanjo in his goodwill message delivered on his behalf by the Minister of Employment, Labour and Productivity, Dr Hassan Lawal, urged labour to extend hands of fellowships to the incoming administration to be headed by Alhaji Musa Yar'Adua.
He said government would continue to provide enabling environment needed for the socio-economic and political development of the nation as well as prosperity for her people.
The President stated that it was true that the nation's democracy was on trial but that at the end of the day it would come out stronger and more enduring, with everyone contributing his own quota.
Ignoring the warning of the Inspector General of Police, Sunday Ehindero, some youths in Ekiti State on Tuesday staged peaceful demonstration in protest of the results of the governorship election, which Mr Segun Oni of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was declared winner in the state.
The protesters under the auspices of All Ekiti Youths Movement marched in some major roads in Ado-Ekiti, alleging that the election was rigged in favour of Oni and that the real winner whom the indigenes of Ekiti State voted for was Dr. Kayode Fayemi of the Action Congress (AC).
The demonstrators carried placards with inscriptions "No to politics of violence," 'No to politics of intimidation and victimisation," "INEC give us our mandate" "Obasanjo free Ekiti people from slavery," "Ekiti detest politics of violence," etc.
One of the organisers, Josemaria Adeusi, alleged that President Olusegun Obasanjo imposed Brig. Gen. Adetunji Olurin (retd) on Ekiti people so that he would in connivance with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) rig the election in favour of Oni.
Adeusi, said the mandate allegedly stolen from Fayemi should be returned to him immediately.
A detachment of policemen led by Ado-Ekiti Area Commander, R.A. Akande, an Assistant Commissioner of Police, monitored the procession to ensure that there was no break down of law and order.
After Adeusi addressed the audience at Okeyinmi Roundabout, Akande told him to disperse his people as the police would not allow any further protest since they had made their grievances known to the people.
Police in Lokoja, however, averted a peaceful rally embarked upon by the opposition parties who were protesting alleged rigging of the last general elections.
The protesters who came in more than 10 buses from the eastern flank of the state were intercepted at the Ganaja Junction end of the town by combat ready anti-riot policemen, stationed at strategic areas of the state capital.
Their mission, it was gathered, was to join some progressive workers in the state, to stage a peaceful demonstration round Lokoja, calling for the cancellation of the just concluded elections.
Speaking with newsmen, the leader of the group, Mallam Bala Bin Imam, an MRDD councillorship aspirant in Ankpa township ward threatened to invoke the 99 names of Allah to fight President Olusegun Obasanjo and Governor Ibrahim Idris of Kogi State if the elections were not annulled and an interim government immediately put in place.
According to Imam, Obasanjo has succeeded in messing up Nigeria in the eyes of the civilized world, having presided over the most violent and despicable elections, which he said was a subject of mockery before some international observers.
Imam, who wondered why the police should stop a law-abiding group of people from making a peaceful protest, however, called on the youths not to allow themselves to be used by selfish politicians as thugs.
Also despite the IGP's stern warning, youths numbering over one hundred Tuesday filed out on the streets in Makurdi, Benue State capital, to stage a peaceful demonstration.
Older citizens defied a downpour and joined in the demonstration to express their dissatisfaction with the recently conducted general elections by INEC.
The aggrieved youths could not, however, go far as armed policemen who had already been deployed to ensure peace and orderliness in the state shot canisters of tear gas to dislodge the angry protesters on Kaduna Street, Wadata area of Makurdi.
Before the police came, the youths who were mostly Hausas, Daily Sun gathered, were all dressed in black T-shirt, black trousers and black scarves to drive home their points, while most of them were seen carrying placards and others leaves.
The protesters came out in the early hours of the morning and marched peacefully through the Wadata area of the state capital after they had agreed that they would not allow unscrupulous citizens hijack the protest to commit nefarious acts.
A member of the group who spoke on the condition of anonymity told Daily Sun that the peaceful protest was to register their grievances over the just concluded general elections which he said President Obasanjo and his party rigged to enthrone their loyalists as leaders in the next dispensation after denying Gen. Buhari the mandate of becoming the next president of this country.
Hundreds of demonstrators took to the streets of Daura, hometown of General Muhammadu Buhari (retired), standard bearer of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) in the April 21 presidential election to press home their demand for the cancellation of the recent polls.
The kinsmen of the former military head of state and runner-up in the election who launched the peaceful demonstration from the inner city of Daura around 10.00am were on their way to Sabon-gari, suburb of Daura, when security operatives dispersed them.
Daily Sun leant the demonstrators who were mainly aggrieved youth armed with leaves and placards were chanting pro-Buhari and ANPP slogans.
When contacted, the spokesmen of the Katsina State Police Command, Mr. Adamu Yusuf, confirmed that the situation was quickly brought under control.
Adamu who also confirmed that no life or property was lost to the protest said the command was yet to ascertain the number of arrests made by the law enforcement agents in the ancient city as at press time on Monday.
In Katsina metropolis, May Day rally was put off by the state branch of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) to avert possible violent demonstration by opposition parties supporters in the home town of the state governor and president-elect, Alhaji Umar Musa Yar'adua, who arrived Katsina last Friday from Abuja.
The labour movement in the state led by the NLC Chairman in Katsina, Aliyu Jubrin Matazu, marked the august celebration with a symposium and donation of assorted consumables to orphanages and public hospitals in the city.
The Coalition of Democracy and Rule of Law (CODARL) in a statement signed by Ayodele Adewale Tuesday night claimed that about 82 of its members including Wale Okunniyi and one Dagatola were arrested by the police and the State Security Services (SSS) while expressing their fundamental human rights by participating in the May Day rally at the Onikan Stadium.
The activists were reportedly circulating a bulletin concerning the flawed elections when they were arrested.
'The policemen came in their large numbers with the State Security Services men and started molesting and assaulting our comrades while inflicting grave bodily harm on them. We wonder when Nigeria had become such a pariah nation that people should be prevented from exercising their rights of freedom of speech and association," the statement said, while calling on 'all democratic people of this nation and beyond to demand for the unconditional release of our comrades who have been put in detention at the order of President Olusegun Obasanjo."