At least four people were trampled on while another was beaten to stupor amid chaos at the National Secretariat of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), yesterday, when former Vice President Atiku Abubakar went to submit his presidential nomination form. The former vice president, who arrived the party’s secretariat at about mid-day, was received by hundreds of his supporters who came to witness the event.
Atiku’s supporters arrived at the secretariat at about 9a.m., drumming and dancing while waiting for him. The occasion later went out of hand as clash between suspected thugs led to stampede at the entrance gate while Atiku was submitting his nomination form inside the party secretariat. The development caused chaos as people scampered for safety. Police, in an attempt to bring the situation under control, fired several shots into the air to disperse the crowd. In the ensuing melee, however, security men at the gate were overwhelmed and in the process, some people were trampled by those seeking shelter inside the secretariat complex. No arrest was made as the hoodlums escaped through different routes.
It was not immediately known what caused the clash, but an eye witness blamed the fight on some people who allegedly came “with All Progressives Congress (APC) flag. “When they were asked why they were at the PDP national secretariat with APC flag, in the process of the argument, fight started.
“The thugs beat one Atiku’s supporter to stupor; if not because of police that started shooting, they would have killed the young man. The man was later rushed to the hospital,” the source said. Some of the supporters of the former vice president said the thugs were not part of them, but came to disrupt the event.
They added that the suspected thugs were sent to invade the event and cause crisis to put Atiku in a bad light. PDP, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, said that APC members stormed its national secretariat with machetes and other dangerous weapons, attacked and wounded its members and supporters before they were dispersed by security operatives. It alleged that intelligence report available to the party showed that “the thugs were assembled and mobilized from the National Secretariat of the APC.” PDP, therefore, called on security agencies, to immediately investigate the incident, “arrest and prosecute all individuals and officials of APC connected with the attack.”
“Moreover, the unleashing of thugs by the APC against our law-abiding party members and supporters, is particularly revealing of those behind some of the violent attacks on innocent Nigerians in various parts of the country,” the statement added. Atiku has condemned the violent incident perpetrated by trouble makers at the headquarters of the PDP. The presidential aspirant said the violence was uncalled for and undemocratic for any group of individuals to turn an otherwise happy political event into a fracas that threatened the lives and well-being of party supporters who were at the event by choice to support their candidate and party.
The Waziri Adamawa called on supporters of all political parties to show maturity and allow the democratic process to proceed unhindered in the interest of the parties and aspirants, as well as the nation. He urged his supporters to show restraint even in the face of provocation. The former vice president advised Nigerians to always allow peace to reign in order for the leadership selection process to be reliable and credible. Atiku also commended the Police and other security personnel for containing the situation and protecting innocent, law abiding supporters at the venue. He expressed optimism that with the neutral and effective conduct by the Police, Nigeria would get the 2019 elections right.
However, the APC has blamed hired crowd for yesterday’s stampede at the National Secretariat of the opposition PDP. The APC Acting National Publicity Secretary, Yekini Nabena, said the PDP should be ashamed to blame members of APC for the stampede. “Tell them to be ashamed of themselves. After hiring crowd to make Nigerians believe that they have supporters and now they refused to pay those supporters and the supporters descended on them and they are now shifting it on APC. Nobody is going to have sympathy on them,” Nabena said. Meanwhile, Atiku, after the submission of his forms, said he would not have been seeking a presidential nomination if the country was working.
“I am very sad that 11 million Nigerians have become unemployed since May 29, 2015. And this does not include the millions more who never had a job since leaving school. “It weighs deeply on my heart that Nigeria has become the world headquarters for extreme poverty, according to the World Economic Forum and the World Poverty Clock,” he said. The former vice president decried killings and terrorism in the country, noting that the Global Terrorism Index rates Nigeria as more terrorised than she was in 2015. “Today marks my first step to lead the efforts to move our people from extreme poverty to prosperity, from joblessness to employment, from senseless killings and fear to security, from so much division to being united around a shared vision and values and from global irrelevance to a shining place in the comity of nations,” he said.
.new telegraph
