- Demands Buhari’s intervention
BY SEGUN ADEBAYO – Nigeria’s former Vice President and Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, has condemned the disruption of the party’s campaign rally by suspected thugs in Kaduna State on Monday, describing the incident as an undemocratic act that runs foul of the Peace Accord recently signed by political parties in the country.
Atiku Abubakar, who confirmed the attack in posts on his verified social media handles, however, urged President Muhammadu Buhari to call supporters of all political parties to order so as to forestall a recurrence.
Condemning the ugly development, the PDP Standard bearer said; “I have just received emergency reports of attacks on PDP supporters by thugs sponsored to scuttle the ongoing PDP campaign rally in Kaduna State. This is undemocratic and against the Peace Accord all parties signed up for just a few weeks ago.
“I urge President Muhammadu Buhari to call on all parties to call their supporters and members to order and to ensure that campaigns, just as with the elections themselves, are kept free, fair, and safe”.
Though unclear if casualties were recorded from the attack, reports indicated that the hoodlums, who came in batches and placed themselves in strategic positions, stormed the Ranch Bees Stadium venue of the campaign rally to unleash mayhem on the PDP members already seated and waiting to receive the party candidate, Alhaji Abubakar.
Reporting the incident, the former lawmaker representing Kaduna Central Senatorial District, Shehu Sani, raised an alarm in a tweet with claims that the thugs invaded the venue of the PDP rally in Kaduna with swords and machetes.
Also, one of the stunned PDP supporters, who was an eyewitness to the incident, told our correspondent; “We suddenly heard noises, and before we knew what was happening, thugs had invaded the stadium to disrupt the day’s proceedings and some of us had to run for our dear lives.”
According to him, “not anticipating the surprise attack, most party supporters ran helter-skelter for refuge with many of them scampering out of the stadium before security men arrived to calm the situation.”
In his reaction, the Director General of the PDP presidential Campaign Council, Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal of Sokoto State, also condemned the attack, saying that such a despicable occurrence will not stop the PDP’s march to victory come 2023 elections.
On Sunday, October 16, 2023, the country’s main opposition party had alleged plots by certain anti-democratic forces who were “uncomfortable and unhappy with the success of the ongoing reconciliation efforts, stability, and popularity of the party, to cause tension and disrupt the party’s programmes in Kaduna State”.
A statement by National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, said; “Our party’s position is predicated on information at our disposal of how these anti-party elements who are not happy with the campaign successes achieved by the National Chairman, Sen. Iyorchia Ayu and other Party leaders, have concluded plots to orchestrate tension and create an impression of crisis within the PDP by recruiting thugs to protest and disrupt scheduled programmes of the PDP in Kaduna State.
”The statement said the PDP had information on how these individuals, who were frustrated by the huge success of the PDP Presidential Campaign Flag-off in Uyo, Akwa-Ibom State capital last Monday, were bent on creating a situation to discredit the PDP Presidential Campaign rally in Kaduna State.
“These anti-party interests plot to stage a protest tomorrow in Kaduna State with unfounded allegations, claims and selfish demands aimed to embarrass the National Chairman as well as discredit the integrity and decisions of top organs of the party including the National Executive Committee (NEC) and the Board of Trustees (BoT).
“For the avoidance of doubt, the PDP is undeterred and standing shoulder to shoulder with the good people of Kaduna State who are set for our presidential campaign rally, which will hold peacefully in Kaduna State.
“Our party will never be distracted from its mission to Rescue, Rebuild and Redirect our nation from the misrule of the All Progressives Congress (APC); the reason Nigerians are rallying with Atiku Abubakar and the PDP.”
Meanwhile, the latest incident in Kaduna state is coming several hours after APC and PDP supporters clashed at a rally organised by the PDP in Gusau, the Zamfara State capital.
Police reports indicated that the political face-up in Gusau claimed the life of one person with 18 others injured.
