Teargassing peaceful protesters shows we’re now disgraced nation – Peter Obi

By Goli Innocent

Peter Obi has condemned the tear-gassing of peaceful protesters in Abuja yesterday, calling it a sign of Nigeria’s declining democratic standards. The demonstrators were protesting for automatic electronic transmission of polling unit results to ensure transparency in elections.

“Again we are showing the world, why we are ‘Now Disgraced Nation’,” Obi wrote on his verified X handle.

He criticised the authorities’ actions: “Today, in our beloved country Nigeria, harmless citizens performing their constitutionally guaranteed duties peacefully were tear-gassed simply for asking for what is right: free, fair, and credible elections in a democratic nation. Those who yesterday claimed to be champions of democracy, have today become destroyers of our democracy and the worst enemies of good governance.”

Urging Nigerians to unite, he said: “I urge Nigerians, en masse, to resist these continued evil plans, to stand united against the destruction of our nation and collective future, and to ensure that free and fair elections are firmly established for the sake of our future.”

Obi emphasised the need for electoral transparency: “We insist that there must be real-time mandatory electronic transmission of polling unit results to ensure transparency and trust in our elections.” He concluded with a message of hope: “May God grant us the strength to build a better country… A New Nigeria is Possible.”