In a powerful display of solidarity, protesters, on Saturday, gathered at Trafalgar Square in London to demand justice for Nigerian voters who they claim were suppressed and intimidated during the recent presidential election.
The protesters held signs and chanted slogans, demanding that the Nigerian government respect the will of the people.
They also called on the UK government to use its influence to pressure the Nigerian government to address the allegations of voter suppression and intimidation.
The atmosphere was charged with a sense of urgency, as protesters recognized the high stakes of the situation.
Led by the founder of Good Governance Institute, Marcel Ngogbehei, the group argued that the international community must get involved to avoid a looming crisis over the outcome of the election.
According to him, if the election results are not seen as legitimate, it could lead to a dangerous escalation of tensions in Nigeria, with potentially disastrous consequences for the country and the region.
The protesters pointed out that the UK government spent £5 million of British taxpayers’ money during the election, which they believe gives them a responsibility to ensure that the right things were done.
Speaking to a crowd of hundreds, Ngogbehei argued that the UK government must take a more active role in ensuring that the election was free and fair.
“What we are saying is that the British government must take interest in ensuring that the right of the citizens to choose their leaders is protected.
“The British government cannot spend £5 million British taxpayers’ money in Nigeria and turn the other eye while we have a fictitious election.
“Over £5m of UK Tax payers money was committed to the Nigerian Elections, and all we got was this sham, the British Government has one of the best intelligence agencies and we’re certain that they must have reported accurately what transpired in Nigeria.
“The Foreign Secretary has no business congratulating anyone in this election until the entire process is concluded.
Doing this amounts to taking sides.
“All we are saying is that we need to save Nigeria’s democracy, the Nigerian government has a duty to protect all Nigerians to ensure that they vote, what we witnessed in the February 2023 election was intimidation, while the security agencies and government looked the other way and political thugs took over the streets of the country,” Ngogbehei said.
The protest was a reminder that democracy is a precious and fragile thing, and that it requires constant vigilance and action to protect.
Against that background, Ngogbehei said the global community must hold the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to account, by asking them to follow their laid down guidelines.
First published in Vanguard