The Civil Societies Directorate, an arm of the All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council (PCC), praised Nigerians for refusing to let the opposition incite violence after the February 25 poll. The accolade came in response to a protest march on Monday to the national headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and several disgruntled PDP chieftains.
Reactions have continued to trail the presidential election results, in which Bola Tinubu received 8,794,726 votes, defeating PDP candidate Atiku Abubakar and Labour Party flag‑bearer Peter Obi, who garnered 6,984,520 and 6,101,533 votes respectively. Unimpressed by the outcome, both Obi and Atiku vowed to pursue legal avenues to challenge the mandate.
Addressing a press conference in Abuja on Tuesday evening, Okpokwu Ogenyi—Secretary of the Renewed Hope Ambassadors and a member of the PCC Civil Societies—condemned the opposition leaders’ attempts to stir chaos and anarchy. The Civil Societies Directorate, formerly headed by Naja’atu Mohammed (the former director of the Tinubu‑Shettima campaign before she defected to the PDP), highlighted that the people have accepted the election results. Ogenyi said, “No Nigerian will agree to be coaxed into causing chaos. We saw yesterday that some elements of the opposition, who are supposed to be elder statesmen, took to the streets in protest and called on Nigerians to join them. Nigerians disappointed them because they have come to terms with reality. We appreciate Nigerians and encourage them to continue standing for the truth. As a civil‑society organisation, we will always be the watchdog of society, guiding its conscience.”
Similarly, Dr. Ene Ogbole, convener of the group, asserted that no patriotic Nigerian would join the opposition in creating a crisis. She noted that the fact some individuals did not win the election does not justify throwing the country into anarchy. “Nigeria existed before they came and will continue after them. If we truly believe in Nigeria’s project and the dream of building a better society, we will not destroy what we aim to build because some people lost the election. I thank Nigerians for rebuffing the call for chaos. We will reject any call to disintegrate, ruin, or destroy our country. Asiwaju Tinubu is the man God has ordained. We also thank INEC for a job well done. No election in the world is without hitches, and Nigeria is no exception. We are aware of the movement of some elements who call themselves ‘Patriots’; I prefer not to use abusive words for individuals.”
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