Angry youths in Bauchi on Thursday twice pelted President Goodluck Jonathan and his campaign team with stones and water sachets.
The broom-wielding youths first blocked the motorcade of the President on Nasarawa Street as it made its way to the palace of the Emir of Bauchi, where Jonathan and his team were going to pay homage.
It took the combined efforts of soldiers and riot policemen to disperse the youths, who were chanting anti-Peoples Democratic Party slogans and extolling the All Progressives Congress presidential candidate, Maj.Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.)
Along the popular Ran Road, some of the youths, who were singing “Sai Buhari” disrupted business activities.
In the President’s motorcade were Vice President Namadi Sambo; Governor Isa Yuguda; the PDP National Chairman, Adamu Mu’azu; and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Senator Bala Mohammed.
Also on the convoy were Governors Ibrahim Dankwambo (Gombe) and Godswill Akpabio (Akwa-Ibom) as well as the Director-General of the PDP Presidential Campaign Organisation, Ahmadu Ali.
Jonathan and his team however made their way to the Ibrahim Babangida Square venue of the campaign rally where they were again embarrassed by another set of broom-wielding youths.
Before the arrival of the campaign team at the venue, the youths were chanting solidarity songs for the President and the PDP. They marched round the venue with drums and placards with the President’s pictures.
They however suddenly turned wild when the programme began and started pelting dignitaries on the platform with objects.
They also destroyed Jonathan’s campaign posters, some of the canopies erected at the venue and plastic chairs.
Water sachets were thrown at the FCT minister while he was making his speech and pleading with the people of the state to vote for Jonathan and the PDP on February 14.
The other dignitaries on the stand had to bend their heads to avoid being hit by the objects that were hurled at them by the crowd.
The obviously embarrassed minister called on Jonathan and other dignitaries to ignore what was happening since it was the “handiwork of the opposition.”
“Fellow supporters of the PDP, let’s ignore what is happening. This is politics. It is the handiwork of those who are bent on destroying politics in Nigeria,” he told Jonathan and the other members of the campaign team.
When Mohammed shouted, “Nigeria, ” the crowd shouted back “sai Buhari,” “Ba mayi,” meaning, “We don’t support the PDP, we want Buhari.”
A security operative, who claimed to have witnessed the incidents, told one of our correspondents in Abuja, that six of his colleagues in the Department of State Security, were injured.
He added that four of them were treated at an undisclosed hospital and discharged immediately while the remaining two were admitted.
The two, according to him, had deep cuts on their heads.
It was very obvious that the President, Sambo and the other dignitaries were not happy with the way and manner they were treated.
This was evident by the look on their faces as they hurriedly left the venue immediately after Jonathan’s speech.
Jonathan, in his speech, vowed that retrogressive forces would not push the PDP behind in its efforts to develop northern Nigeria.
He promised that if re-elected, he would develop the country particularly the North, by educating and empowering youths and women.
The President said, “There are distractions here. We are lucky we are in Bauchi, the home of Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, one of the greatest leaders who led this country very well. He is appreciated from the North to the South; the East to the West.
“He never instigated anybody against anybody. He spoke about the unity and development of this country and that is what the PDP stands for.
“We must educate and empower our young men and women so that they will not be used by politicians to cause violence.”
Also, Sambo thanked the people of the state for their reception but advised them to desist from engaging in politics of religion.
He said, “Nigeria is not like Saudi Arabia or Afghanistan which are Islamic countries but in Nigeria we are mixed and we must work together.”
A similar incident occurred on Monday when Governor Isa Yuguda and other dignitaries were stoned at the PDP governorship rally at the Darazo Mini-Stadium by angry youths believed to be supporters of the APC. Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everyday
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Nigeria! Sai Buhari ! FFK go to hell!
ReplyDeleteYou are a big fool, oh I almost forgot you are all jihadist. useless worthless people. This is same violent people that wants to come and rule Nigeria! IN THEIR DREAMS!
DeleteAPC and his Bokoharam youths in all streets of the North. Buhari = Violence
ReplyDeleteIt beats my imagination that people can treat the President of a country like this for whatever reason. Throwing stones and other objects at the president and his team at rallies including the hometown of GMB? This is so ridiculously wrong. I' m so afraid of the forthcoming election. Please, God, undertake for us. Let Your counsel stand. Defend us and fight this battle for us.
ReplyDeleteI am not a politician but I have seen some level of development in the APC controlled states that we have not been seeing with PDP. #ihavedecided to vote for Buhari/Ambode...chew that
ReplyDeleteWe're not needs to fight or attack ourselves we're brothers and sisters let gain dialogue and allowed peace harmony reigns,Jonathan is a gentle man he knew that he was mislead by sycophants and corrupt political appointees that forced him to contest for second time which he knows that Buhari will win it is not too late for him to we draw from the race to avoid embarrassment.sorry ooo Mr Presido.
ReplyDeleteI feel sory 4 u and all d holigans frm d north.campaigns in all regions are safe except d north.when gmb loses dis election u can break up bcos of yr immaturity and rule yrselves in d desert
ReplyDeleteImagine the kind of supports APC/BUHARI is breeding, voilent oriented animals,buhari went to campaign in easten states peacefully, GEJ got attacked. APC will surly pay the price of imbibing violence in their supports and failure must be there portion. Amin
ReplyDeleteYou're very stupid my friend, what your GEJI did to the north escapt bombing us killing innocent people look at the people of Borno yobe and Adamawa state, u re talking rubbish shame on u too did u APC as youth to stone GEJI, just think about it my friend, his seeking their vote again, this nothing they are right to stone him, but let me assure you GEJI will go to Jos plateau state on Monday, you will see what will happen to him there, did you forget about his campaign cars in Jos, people are tired of him, we all need change even you my friend, come FeBuhari Nigeria sai Buhari either you like it or not..
ReplyDeleteWHAT IS CONTROLING GMB IS SPRIT OF ABSOLOMY,BUHARI WANT POWER BY ALL MEANS BUT DE TRUTH IS DAT HE ILL NAVER GET IT BCOS WE ARE NOT FOOLS LOOK AT WHAT HIS SOUPORTERS ARE DOING AND HE IS HAPPY SITTING QIET AS IF HE DONT KNOW NO PROBLEM HE ILL SUFFER ANOTHER DEFEAT AND LET DE WORST HAPPEN NOTTEN IS NEW UNDER DE SUN
ReplyDeleteHausa goats and Fulani cows. North will continue to destroy until you change your violent attitudes and you will soon rule yourselves with your grand nuts and onions.
ReplyDeletenawa ooo..dis z not fair...wat if gej win dis election?...am nt in suport of gej bt ds z totally wrong..president of nigeria stoned n u fools r here tokin rubbish?...dis z very very unfair...may God shame dis fools n appoint anoda person other than gmb n gej....i blame jona 4 bin a gentleman...dis foolish aboki,almajirs dt dnt av work doin...i dnt even knw wich part of d world dey came 4rm....may God appoint help us...God bless nigeria
ReplyDeletewhere is northern elders forum are they in support of all this things that is happened. Let me reminded them that they should reacted before it is torn to another things. Because the whole world is watching. Throwing stone to Mr president GEJ can never solved nigerian problem unless with dialogue in tables with each ethnic representation.
ReplyDeleteCome to think of it, nobody stoned GEJ convoy in all the APC controlled states. why is it happening in PDP controled states, Katsina and now Bauchi........mhhhhh i smell rat, may be, just may be, PDP in action.
ReplyDeleteConstitutionally, is Jonathan even qualified to contest the 2015 elections? How long shall a Président demain in office? Eight or ten years?
ReplyDelete