By Halimah Olamide
Some protesters on Thursday stormed the Abuja Nigerian office of the European Union to call to question the final report of the EU Election Observers who monitored the 2023 general elections.
The EU observer reports was released earlier in the week indicting the Independent National Electoral Commission over its handling of the exercise.
The report also said in the overall, the election failed to meet the basic acceptable standards.
The report also highlighted some other critical areas such as gender, vote buying, harassment and intimidation, disability rights and other factors.
The report was condemned by the Presidency, which accused the EU of attempting to interfere in the internal affairs of Nigeria.
The protesters said EU reports showed a move to tamper with the sovereignty of the country.
Coming under the aegis of the Coalition of Civil Society Organization and Political Parties for Good Governance (CCSOPPGG), the protesters whose views were expressed by Lilian Ogbole, said there is no perfect election anywhere in the world.
She said the conclusion by the EU Observers could precipitate chaos in the country.
We were taken aback when the report came, the media was awash with the report of the EU carefully and specifically saying that the election was fraudulent and that the election felt short of requirements of every credible election in the world,” he said.
“I don’t know where that one is coming from. If it is the election that we were all part of, that we all fought vigorously with our lives and everything we have as patriots and well-meaning Nigerians to ensure that the election was held, if it is the same election that the EU spoke about, then it means that something is fishy somewhere.
You would also agree with me that the report of the EU is enough to trigger a national problem, is enough to trigger a national chaos, our security is at stake, our sovereignty is at stake, our unity is at stake.”