Speaking to Vanguard, Sowore said the movement aims to defeat the tyranny within the democratic system.

Our October 1 protest is not to attract invitations by Aso Rock – Sowore

With less than 24 hours to go until the 1st October nationwide peaceful protest, one of the organisers and 2023 presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), Omoyele Sowore, declared on Monday that the protest will go ahead as planned.

He stressed that the protest is not intended to attract attention for dialogue with Aso Rock, but to ensure their demands are met.

He said: “The October 1 nationwide peaceful protest will hold in Abuja at Eagle Square.

“The protest has always made a difference, it has always defeated tyranny and oppression.

“We did not plan the protest to get an invitation to the Aso Rock Villa.”

He also stated that they (protesters) are not ready for any other thing but, “No, answer, I am sure we are only ready for change, not monologue.

“The ultimatum attached to our demands to be met is tomorrow (October 1, 2024).”

He explained that the protest was scheduled for October 1, coinciding with Nigeria’s Independence Day celebration from Britain on October 1, 1960.

“It is a significant protest that first questions the Independence of 1960 and now seeks a new independence from internal colonizers.”

However, he added that no amount of intimidation can stop the protest, “It doesn’t matter to us, we expect the worst but we know the people would win ultimately.”

Reno Omokri has reacted to the outcome of the Edo state governorship election, which was held over the weekend, stating that it was an election between two “godfathers”.

Edo Election: A Battle of Godfathers, Says Reno Omokri

In a post shared on his Instagram page, Omokri said the outcome showed that the election was between Godwin Obaseki, incumbent governor of Edo state, and Adams Oshiomole, former governor of the state, and not the two contending contestants, PDP’s Osagie Igodalo and APC’s Osagie Ize-Iyamu, who won the election.

His post reads

“The Edo election was largely free, fair and transparent and overwhelmingly reflected the freely given will of the people of Edo State.

If you take the time to see the negative fall out, they are almost all from people and celebrities who are not from Edo State and do not live there. I have family, businesses, buildings, and employees in Edo State, and as such, I have an ear to the ground.

I see too many people being emotional over the outcome of the #EdoDecides24. Emotions are good for activism and sometimes for chasing women if you are a romantic. But they do not win elections on Election Day or at the courts.

If you want to win, you have got to be rational.

This was an election of one godfather against the other. It was not Ighodalo who was defeated. He is an excellent candidate. It was Obaseki who was rejected. It was not Okpebholo that won. It was Oshiomhole and Shaibu.

If Ighodalo and Okpebholo had gone mano a mano, without the aid of godfathers in the picture, I am convinced that Ighodalo would have won.

The only difference between the two contending camps is that Obaseki relied on his office, while Oshiomhole and Shaibu focused on the people.

And since politics is about addition, Oshiomhole and Shaibu won the political arithmetics.

Obaseki failed to understand that in politics, no matter your position, you must still try to avoid subtraction.

No matter how popular you think, you are, if your opponent is practising addition and you are implementing subtraction, the result of the election is a foregone conclusion, even if you allow social media to mislead you.

Remember, there are no polling booths on the Internet.”

President Bola Tinubu has congratulated the All Progressives Congress candidate, Senator Monday Okpebholo, on his victory in the Edo State governorship election.

Tinubu Celebrates APC Victory, Encourages Legal Recourse for Disgruntled Parties

The Independent National Electoral Commission on Sunday declared APC’s Okpebholo as the winner of the election.

In a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, President Tinubu commended APC national leaders, Edo State leaders, and party governors for their efforts in securing the win.

He described the victory as a testament to the people’s endorsement of the APC’s progressive ideals, economic reform agenda, and commitment to improving the lives of Nigerians.

“President Tinubu commends APC national leaders, Edo State leaders, and party governors for working hard to achieve victory. He says the victory testified to the people’s support for the ruling party, its progressive ideals, its economic reengineering programme and its commitment to improving the lives of Nigerians.

He urges Senator Okpebholo not to gloat over his victory but to see it as a challenging call to service. He encourages him to demonstrate magnanimity by reaching out to his political rivals and uniting the people of Edo State to ensure its development.

President Tinubu also praises other candidates who participated in the election for their contributions to advancing Nigeria’s democracy, saying peaceful political contests, such as the one on Saturday, portray Nigeria as a stable democracy.

The President urges all those aggrieved by the election outcome to seek redress through the legal channels.

In addition, the president commends the people of Edo State for their orderly and peaceful conduct during the election, underscoring the maturing of Nigeria’s democracy after 25 years.” the statement reads in part

President Tinubu further commended INEC and the security agencies for working round the clock to conduct a successful, peaceful and largely hitch-free exercise. He mentioned that INEC has once again demonstrated that it is committed to organising a free and fair election in our country.