THERE was a peaceful protest yesterday in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, in support of the joint ticket of the late Prince Abubakar Audu and James Abiodun Faleke of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The duo contested the November 21 governorship election in Kogi State.

Placard-carrying demonstators said the joint ticket qualified APC for the election.

The protest, tagged: "A walk for Nigerian democracy", was organised by a civil society organisation, Save Our Democracy Advocates (SODA).

Some placards read: 'Kogi election: Prof Jega come back', 'Buhari and Malami don't take us back to the era of election rigging', 'Save our democracy', 'Nigeria is not a banana republic', 'Kogi election was concluded on November 21', 'Faleke is Kogi State governor-elect' and 'APC don't rob Peter to pay Paul.'

Addressing reporters, the SODA Coordinator, Comrade Taiwo Otitolaye, said Faleke remained the custodian of the people's mandate with the death of Audu, his principal.

He added: "The APC without Audu/Faleke cannot stand election as an amorphous entity. It is their joint ticket, which qualified the party. More so, the election was contested and won on November 21.

"We cannot be silent on the Kogi State election impasse created by the diabolical exigencies and treachery of the APC, attorney-general of the federation, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Buhari administration.

"The Kogi impasse is a critical stage and part of our constitutional and political development in the annals of nation building. As such, we must rise to protect our common destiny.

"Yahaya Bello to be declared governor-elect on supplementary votes of 6,885 is the height of electoral fraud admissible within the confine of the ethos of banana republic. Subjugated victory cannot be the way forward. The people must act in unison to unmask the conspirators of our collective political destiny. We must resist an attempt to ambush and swindle the people's mandate.

"If some people don't want to see Faleke as an individual, they should go and settle their personal scores; personal issues should not be used to scuttle our democratic processes. Nigeria and Nigerians cannot be hoodwinked into the so-called party supremacy hinged on treachery and underdevelopment."

Otitolaye said the protest "is a struggle hinged on Nigeria's constitutional and political development; a national issue transcending Kogi State, the people and APC as a party. The impasse raises doubt on Nigeria's genuineness to transit to constitutional democracy and it places on trial the administration's sincerity to open, accountable and transparent electioneering process."