Nigeria’s opposition leader heads protest
Nigeria's opposition leader Atiku Abubakar who came second in a February 25 presidential poll took to the streets yesterday along with his supporters to contest the election results.
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The electoral body last week declared Bola Tinubu of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner to take over from President Muhammadu Buhari in May.
Almost 25 million people cast ballots in a vote that was largely peaceful but marred by long delays and technical glitches, angering voters and opposition parties who have claimed massive vote-rigging.
Abubakar's supporters and members of his People’s Democratic Party (PDP) dressed in black to walk to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)'s headquarters in Abuja and submit a petition, claiming electoral fraud.
INEC has "direct involvement in aiding and abetting the monumental rigging and manipulation of the election results in favour of the ruling party," said Iyorchia Ayu, the PDP chairman.
"It is really an appalling situation," said another PDP leader, Baraka Sani, surrounded by protesters with banners saying "Save our democracy" and "INEC is corrupt".
The commission has acknowledged technical difficulties on the day of the vote but rejects claims of fraud.
The Labour Party's Peter Obi, who came in third in the election, has also rejected the results, and said he was going to court to prove to Nigerians he won the presidential race.
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