- * As Over 1,000 Women Defy Ban Order In The State
By David Okpashi (Nasarawa State Correspondent, in Lafia)
Peaceful protest by women in Nasarawa State over the last controversial election results of the governorship election announced by INEC has continued to generate political heat following the police ban on all forms of protest in the state.
It would be recalled that the State Police Command had, last Saturday, issued a notice banning any forms of protest throughout the state.
Recalled also that Women in the state had since the announcement of results of the governorship election, continued to carry out a state wide peaceful protest, and calling on INEC to announce the authentic winner of the March 18th governorship election in Nasarawa state.
Reacting to the ban of all forms of protest in Nasarawa state by the police, the state Chairman of the opposition People's Democratic party (PDP), Chief Francis Orogu, described the ban by the police as unconstitutional.
According to the opposition PDP Chairman, it was a demonstration of biasness for the police to ban peaceful protest by women who are dissatisfied with electoral processes.
"You can't beat a child and tell such a child not to cry. What the women are doing is what is done anywhere in the world. They are expressing their pain of being robbed of their votes.
"It's sad that the Police Commissioner in Nasarawa state will ban a peaceful protest by women who did not disrupt any government or private activities or cause mayhem or pose a threat to the peace of the state.
"it has clearly shown a conspiracy between the police and the APC to subvert the wishes of the people by all means. But the world is watching. This same police were the one that stopped us for having access to the collation center where the manipulation of result took place that night.
"The state Director of the DSS acted maturely when he called me to talk to the women to stop stripping nude while protesting.
"The saddest part is that Governor Sule is not even touched by women protesting naked but only accusing the women of collecting N500 to protest. Does he know what it means for older women to show their nudity in a protest? That is the culture of Kwarafa women when they are aggrieved ", Orogu stated.
In the same vein, the former Minister of information, Labaran Maku, kicked against the action of the police, claiming that the police do not have the right to ban peaceful protest because peaceful protest is the constitutional right of the citizens.
"We are aware governor Sule gave the police the order to ban the women from protesting peacefully across the state. You can't stop people from embarking on peaceful protest when you have not done anything to address their grievances.
"Even during the military rule, citizens resisted ban on protest. When you ban people from engaging in peaceful protest you may be looking for some trouble that you may not be able to curtail.
Meanwhile, over 1,000 aged women across the 13 Local Government Areas of Nasarawa State, on Monday, protested over what they alleged as the rigging of the governorship election in the state.
The women who were dressed in black, singing emotional songs in Hausa language and carrying leaves did not go to the streets but held the peaceful protest at the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP ) secretariat in Lafia, the state capital.
Speaking during the protest, the State Women Leader of the PDP, Stella Oboshi, alleged that the party's governorship candidate, David Ombugadu, won the governorship election and not the incumbent Governor, Abdullahi Sule, as announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission( INEC ).
Oboshi explained that the protest which started last week was to register their dissatisfaction with the outcome of the election. He added that the protest was held at the PDP secretariat following respect to the constituted authority's ban on all forms of protests in the state,
According to her, the women were law abiding and loyal citizens of the country which was why they decided to hold the protest inside the party's premises. She stated that all protesters were given a directive not to invade the streets to avoid the breakdown of law and order in the state capital.
She called on INEC to do the needful by reviewing the election results and announce the actual winner of the election.
"The reason of our being here is that we are protesting because of the election that was rigged. They rigged us in the election, and as women in the party, we are not happy with what has happened in Nasarawa state.
"The police has banned protests in the state. We are not outside, we are inside our party's office. So, I feel we are not against the law. We are law abiding citizens. All PDP women respect the laws of the land, we are peacemakers, that is why all our protests have been peaceful.
"Moreso, peaceful demonstration in politics is allowed because there is freedom of speech. As you can see, since Tuesday last week when we started protesting, we have not harmed anyone, we have not insulted anyone or destroyed any property," Oboshi noted.
She, therefore called INEC to review the results collated from across the state and announce the actual winner of the governorship election. NNL.
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