Armed pro-Jonathan groups protest against Jega in Lagos

Armed pro-Jonathan groups protest against Jega in Lagos    

 

Report gathered that thousands of Oodua Peoples Congress and the Coalition of Concerned Nigerians members   loyal to the Peoples Democratic Party took to three major roads in Lagos on Monday demanding the sacking of the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Attahiru Jega.

The protesters, who wore T-shirts with PDP inscriptions and pictures of President Goodluck Jonathan, started gathering in front of the Federal Road Safety Commission near the old Lagos Toll Gate on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway as early as 7am.

From there, they proceeded on foot and in about 100 buses to the front of the Teslim Balogun Stadium in Surulere, causing traffic snarl on the ever busy Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Ikorodu Road and   Funso Williams(Western) Avenue in the city.

The demonstrators, who wielded broken bottles and knives,   also displayed banners and posters calling for Jega’s removal.

They destroyed outdoor adverts of All Progressives Congress candidates on the street lights along the highways.

A LASTMA official claimed that some of the demonstrators   stormed their Anthony office,     chased them away   and released many impounded vehicles   to their owners.

The National Coordinator of the OPC, Chief Gani Adams, led the protest which had   some popular actors and musicians such as Zack Orji, Alex Usifo, Paul Obazele, Obesere and Saheed Osupa, participating.

The protest forced motorists to seek alternative routes. Many passengers, most of whom were rushing to their respective offices, had to disembark from commercial vehicles and trekked long distances to escape the snarl.

The absence of   Lagos State Traffic Management Agency officials from the highways emboldened the confidence of the protesters, some of whom drove against traffic and others on the restricted BRT lanes.

Policemen from the state command and soldiers attached to OP MESA provided security for the demonstrators who distributed Jonathan’s campaign leaflets   to passers-by and   motorists stuck in traffic. The leaflets contained the ‘‘achievements’’ of   Jonathan.

Some of the protesters   gave out fliers that bore the ‘‘sins’’ of Jega.

One of the fliers read, “Over five million people have yet to obtain their Permanent Voter Cards in the South-West; over 2.5 million persons in the South-South and two million in the South-East while Jega claimed to have recorded 90 per cent distribution in the North, despite the high level of insecurity in the North-East.