Nigerian Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has reacted to the #OccupyINEC protest organised by members of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) following the derecognition of David Mark as the National Chairman of the party and Rauf Aregbesola as the National Secretary by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), news.ng reports.
Recall that earlier, members of the ADC, including chieftains of the party such as Peter Obi, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, former Governor of Kano State Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, former Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi, and former Governor of Sokoto State Aminu Tambuwal, among others, took to the streets of Abuja, Nigeria’s capital, on Wednesday to protest against the action of INEC.
According to the party, the removal of its national leaders following a court ruling is a move by the electoral umpire to undermine democratic institutions and a ploy to advance the perceived ambition of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to turn the country into a one-party state—an allegation the APC has rejected.
During the protest, as they headed to the headquarters of INEC in Abuja, they called on Nigerians not to remain silent.
Meanwhile, Keyamo, in a post on X, questioned the motive behind the protest.
The Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), while describing the protest as blackmail, berated the ADC for failing woefully in the recently conducted council election in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), where it was unable to secure a seat.
According to the Minister, Nigerians cannot be fooled into paying attention to the ADC by a mere protest.
He stated, “So, the survival of our democracy is now anchored on the recognition of one faction of one of the 21 registered political parties we have in this country? The same faction, even when recognised, could not win a single Council seat in the just-concluded FCT election? Democracy now means their own logic in the media space MUST be accepted, and our judiciary processes ignored?
“These fellows think they can blackmail everyone to do their bidding AT ALL COST. Unfortunately for them, Nigerians are not so gullible.”
