Heavy Security As Tinubu Supporters Storm EU Secretariat In Abuja

Following the release of the report on the 2023 presidential election, supporters of President Bola Tinubu, on Thursday, stormed the national secretariat of the European Union in Abuja.

Naija News reports that Tinubu supporters, under the aegis of Coalition of Civil Society Organisation and Political Parties for Good Governance, protested against the EU report on the 2023 presidential election.

The demonstrators marched from National Hospital to the EU office displaying several banners that read, ‘Nigerians reject EU election observer report’, ‘Don’t trigger violence in Nigeria’ and ‘We say No to manipulated report.’

While chanting the popular ‘On your mandate’ campaign anthem of President Bola Tinubu, the group demanded to see the European Union Ambassador to Nigeria, Ms Samuela Isopi and Deputy Head of the EU to Nigeria, Alexandre Borges-Gomes.

The presence of the protesters consequently attracted a heavy retinue of armed security operatives who barricaded the perimeter.

Addressing reporters at the entrance of the EU secretariat, coordinator of the coalition, Dr Ene Ogbole, faulted the report, saying it was a deliberate attempt to create chaos in the country.

Ogbole also queried why the union resorted to taking its report to the Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal to make its point, adding that every election across the globe comes with peculiar problems

According to her, no serious government or institution would draw a conclusion from the account of a presidential election conducted in less than 1,000 polling units to reflect what went down in over 176,000 units spread across the country.

She said, “Every election held across the world including the United States of America, Great Britain and even the European Union countries have their peculiarities. The election that produced President Bola Tinubu was one of the most transparent in the history of Nigeria.

“We were therefore taken aback when the media was awash with the EU report carefully and specifically saying the election was fraudulent and fell short of requirements. I don’t know where that one is coming from. If it is the election we were all part of and fought vigorously with our lives for as patriots, something is fishy somewhere.

“The EU should know where to stop. Why on earth should they take the report of this election to the tribunal? They have procedures in their counties. But when they come to Nigeria, they act out of protocol. They must begin to have protocols and respect our rule of law.

“You will agree with me that the report of the European Union is enough to trigger a national problem, chaos and put Nigeria’s security and sovereignty at stake. We understand the role they played. But again, there comes a time when we have to stop.”