Women block Lokoja-Abuja highway...protest Kogi guber poll

LINK   The Nation

After a lull, women drawn from the 21 local government areas of Kogi State yesterday  blocked the ever-busy Lokoja-Abuja highway, protesting the alleged election rigging and malpractices during the   December 3 gubernatorial election in the state.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had, on  December 4, declared Captain Idris Wada of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) winner of the  gubernatorial election amidst protest by the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) which came second at the poll. 
The chief strategist of the ACN in the state, Hon. Dino Melaiye, during a media briefing, described the election as a scientific rigging by the PDP. 
The women defied the presence of the Federal Road Safety Corp officials and   blocked the highway for over two hours, carrying pla cards with inscription “Kogi women did not vote Wada; we voted Audu. 
The protest caused a traffic jam for motorists,  as the women were  shouting “return our stolen mandate; we did not vote for PDP.”
Speaking with journalists at the protest ground, the leader of the group, Hajia Zainab Isah, said the women voluntarily came out on their own to protest what she described as stolen mandate. 
“ In the December 3 governorship election, we did not vote for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). We voted for Prince Abubakar Audu of the ACN for changed, but we wondered why they denied him the mandate freely given to him by the people.
“We supported the PDP in the previous elections, but there is nothing to show for our support. We are tired. Our children are no longer in school. Our husbands have been sacked in the name of screening. That is why decided to support the ACN, and, to our surprise, our votes were given to the PDP. We say no to that and our votes must be given to whom we voted for or else we will all go naked when we protest again ,” she added. 
She pleaded with President Goodluck Journathan and the INEC chairman, Professor Attahiru Jega, to return the stolen mandate to the rightful winner, Abubakar Audu of the ACN, for peace to reign in the state.
According to her, the result as announced by the INEC did not reflect the wish of the people, saying that the PDP knew that they did not win the election, hence there was no jubilation even when the INEC declared them winner.
“ We are pleading with Jega to do the right thing by returning our stolen mandate and we would not stop till our mandate is restored,” she said.
Meanwhile, the Kogi State Command Police Public Relation Officer (PPRO) , Ajaiyi Okasammi, said the protest was peaceful.