Activists, others plan anti-Jonathan rally
Barring any hitches, organizers of ≠BringBackOurGirls and some key opposition leaders will stage a protest against President Goodluck Jonathan on October 1, the Independence Day, over the continued abduction of over 200 Chibok schoolgirls by Boko Haram.
The grand protest, which would hold in Abuja, will be attended by some human rights groups to mark 170 days since the abduction of the female students. A member of the ≠BringBackOurGirls group, who opted for anonymity, said the planned pro­test is still under wraps. He said the choice of October 1 is deliberate as, according to him, it is a day the President and other government officials will mark the Indepen­dence Day.
He said the group and some international rights organization were not happy over government’s handling of the release of the girls. He claimed that the President was more interested in his second term than mobilizing forces for their rescue.
The aim of the protest, the ≠BringBack­OurGirls officials disclosed, is to compel the Presidency to step up efforts towards the release of the girls, stressing that the In­dependence Day protest is one of the many activities being planned against President Jonathan’s re-election bid.
The move by the group followed fresh plot by lawyers to stop the President from seeking re-election in 2015.
But reacting to the planned protest, the office of Dr Doyin Okupe, Senior Special Adviser on Public Affairs, said it was aware of the plans and “will follow through.”
Giving details on preparations for the protest, the group’s official said some op­position governors, senators and House of Representatives members have been helping to firm up arrangements for the protest. For instance, he said at a meeting held by members of the group on September 24, two senators, two House of Representatives members attended. The perley which took place in Abuja was also attended by an in­ternational human rights Non-Governmental Organization (NGO).
He said: “It is to mark 170 days of the abduction and to consolidate on the hostile environment that would prevent him (President Jonathan) from contesting,” the meeting resolved .
He noted that a team also visited the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) from Borno State camped at Inkuma and Kabaru in Nasarawa State and donated some materials.
He said the team resolved to seek “pos­sible recruitment of a governor from the South-South, a female Rep, a governorship aspirant in one of the states in the Northeast and six other “human rights activists.
“The overall objective of this drive is to ensure that President Jonathan leaves office before the scheduled elections in 2015 or ensure he is not re-elected,” it said.

Chibok protests resume Oct 1