Some Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, supporters that attended presidential campaign rally for President Goodluck Jonathan at the famous Ahmadu Bello Stadium in Kaduna yesterday openly campaigned for the presidential candidate of All Progressives Congress, APC, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (rtd).
Our correspondent, who was at the event observed a poor turn-out of PDP supporters at the stadium, as President Jonathan rounded off his campaign tour in the home state of Vice President Namadi Sambo.
Some sections of the crowd at the stadium rather than praising the president, were instead shouting “Sai Buhari, Sai El-Rufai” a situation that forced security operatives to chase them out of the stadium.
The 25,000 capacity stadium was half empty as many supporters shunned the rally.
Angry deputy governor of the state, Amb. Nuhu Bajoga, was spotted by our correspondent at the rally, complaining bitterly to members of the local organising committee at the main bowl of the stadium. He reportedly told the committee to “go and bring the crowd…”
It was gathered that the welfare for supporters were allegedly diverted by some unnamed officials of the local organising committee.
The president, who arrived at the stadium at about 1.30pm, went round the empty stadium, before taking his seat.
In his speech, President Jonathan said Kaduna is one of the major beneficiaries of the Federal Government and as such, it was payback time for the people of the state to re-elect him in the February 14 election.
He said the state was the focus of the central government in the next four years if elected.
Jonathan promised revive the moribund collapsed textile industries in the state so as to create jobs for the teeming youths in the state. He noted that the state must work with the party for the development of the state.
Vice President Sambo had earlier in his speech said he the people of the state were very happy with the president for his choice as running mate in the February polls.
He described the president as patriotic and detribalised and therefore urged the people of the state to vote the party in all the elections.
Meanwhile, the All Progressives Congress, APC, has welcomed the statement by the Presidency/PDP that they are not behind the ongoing campaign for next month’s general elections to be shifted, saying both must now back up their words with action by cutting off the funding for the surreptitious campaign immediately.
In a statement issued in Ilorin on Saturday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said having seen that the election-shift campaign has been rejected by Nigerians, the Presidency and the PDP have wisely backed away from it that is if they can be trusted to mean what they say.
However, it called on all Nigerians, as well as local and international observers who have started arriving for the elections, to closely monitor developments as the elections approach, because the Presidency and the PDP have proven time and again that their words are not their bond.
”Election is a process, not a one-day affair. That is why we are delighted that some foreign observers have already arrived for the February 14th and 28th polls. Now they must pay a very close attention to the preparations for the elections, the relentless campaign to shift the polls, including through the use of pseudo analysts and the sponsorship of a rash of court cases seeking to stop the presidential candidate of the APC, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, at all cost.
”We know their last joker is the court, amid the unpleasant rumours that a pliable Judge has been procured with millions of dollars to disqualify our candidate. But we strongly believe that the judiciary will do all that is possible to keep its integrity intact and not be a party to desperate efforts to scuttle the elections and trigger a constitutional crisis,” APC said
The party also called on local and international observers to take note of the threats of violence emanating from a section of the country ahead of the elections.
0 comments:
Post a Comment