Ijaw Youths Decry Suppression, Rally In Abuja

HUNDREDS of youths converged at the AIT premises in Abuja to protest the disruption of online polls initiated by AIT, on Friday.

   The protesters consisting of students and some rights groups including the Ijaw Youths Council, Good House Nigeria, and Action Nigeria, carried placards, and described the disruption as suppression of the rights of Nigerians. 

   The national director of mobilization of the Ijaw Youths Council (IYC), Wisdom Ikuli, at the rally said: “We know we are in an electoral period and AIT decided to organise an online poll to sample the opinions of Nigerians, but it is quite unfortunate that the work of AIT was hijacked by the All Progressives Congress (APC). They hacked into AIT’s systems and compromised it. AIT decided to suspend it. It is quite sad and unfortunate that the APC had decided to employ such devices to antagonize the efforts of AIT.”

   Ikuli said: “The 2015 election is about justice; justice for the deprived people of the Niger Delta; people who have shouldered the burden of Nigeria since independence. They were not given the opportunity. Why is it that after 54 years of Nigeria’s existence, the people of the Niger Delta are not being given the chance to rule?

   “Nigerian youths have come out to protest the antagonism against Mr. President. We are not paid to be here; we mobilized ourselves to be here, to show that we are with the President.”

   He added that he believes INEC has the capacity to conduct a hitch-free election, and urged youths to vote for their choice candidates without pressure or coercion.