By Daniel Kanu
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has said the large crowd and perceived overwhelming support for its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, by Nigerians at the PDP presidential campaign rally in Kano on Sunday was an indication that President Muhammadu Buhari had lost the support of the North West.
The opposition party said this on Monday even as it warned the ruling party and the Buhari presidency to desist from arresting its members.
The PDP National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, in a statement said the mammoth crowd that came for Kano rally had finally awakened Buhari that he has lost Kano State.
He said, “The spontaneous jubilation by Nigerians across the entire Kano State, in receiving Atiku Abubakar, reinforces their rejection of President Buhari for impoverishing the people with his incompetence as well as endorsing corruption in the state.
“The people of Kano State are in alignment with other states of the federation, particularly in the North, in rejecting President Buhari for his manifest aloofness and insensitivity to the welfare of the poor, while his close relations and cabal in his Presidency live in arrogant opulence.”
He stated that the mammoth crowd in Kano who received Atiku was a further demonstration of their perceived anger against Buhari’s “panicky measure” of allegedly importing mercenaries from Niger Republic into the state to populate his recent campaign rally, instead of addressing issues.
Ologbondiyan said, “The complete rejection of President Buhari in the face of the soaring acceptance of Atiku Abubakar across the country, particularly in the North West states of Kano, Sokoto, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kebbi, Zamfara and Katsina, which were hitherto considered as Buhari’s stronghold, has clearly shown that Buhari and the All Progressives Congress have come to the end of the road.
“The PDP therefore charges Nigerians to politically occupy on the day of election and use all legitimate measure to protect their votes in the overall quest to rescue our nation from Buhari’s misrule and return it to the path of national cohesion and economic prosperity under the leadership of Atiku.”
The party which said it totally rejected what it called “the on-going
clampdown, unlawful arrest and detention” of its officials and members in
various parts of the country by the Buhari presidency and the APC ahead of the general election demanded the immediate release of its Kaduna State spokesperson, Ben Bako.
The statement read: “This is highly provocative and a direct invitation to anarchy and a political crisis that is capable of derailing our democratic order.
“Our party is concerned over the unwarranted arrest of the Director of
Media Committee of the Kaduna State PDP Governorship Campaign
Organization, Mr. Ben Bako, who has been detained by the Department of
State Services (DSS) since last weekend.
“We are aware that Mr. Ben Bako’s arrest is prelude to the planned
clampdown of our campaign officials by the Buhari Presidency and the
APC, whose aim is to instill fear in the polity, incite crisis and
derail the electoral process, having realized that they have lost in
this election ahead of the polls.
“It is instructive to state that the DSS has given no reason for Mr. Ben
Bako’s arrest and detention, but only acted on the orders of the APC as
expressed by the Assistant Publicity Secretary of Kaduna APC, Salisu
Tanko Wusono, who openly stated that Mr. Bako deserves his ordeal.
“Further reports reaching us at the PDP from our Kaduna State chapter
indicate that many of our leaders including former governors of Kaduna
State, Senator Ahmed Markarfi and Alhaji Mukhtar Ramalan Yero; PDP
Kaduna State chapter chairman, Chief Felix Hyat, and the former PDP state
chairman, Alhaji Yahaya Yaro Makama among others, have been listed for
clamp down and are now being trailed by agents of the APC.
“We have also been informed of plots by the APC and the Buhari Presidency to track down and detain PDP critical stakeholders in other parts of the country, so as to put them out of circulation before and during the general elections.
However, the PDP told the presidency and the APC to note that “their plot, as well as the continued detention of Ben Bako, is setting the stage for a vehement resistance by the people, which is capable of triggering crisis and disrupting the fragile peace in Kaduna State.”
The PDP, which demanded the immediate and unconditional release of Mr. Bako by the DSS without hurt or further harassment stressed that it will hold the APC and the Buhari Presidency directly responsible should any harm, whatsoever, befall any of their leaders or members, particularly in Kaduna state ahead of the elections.
“Kaduna State is a PDP stronghold and our party is not ready to stomach
any further harassment of our leaders, officials and members; before,
during and after the general elections.
“We therefore call on the National Peace Committee to note, as well as
speak out against the provocations by the APC and the Buhari Presidency
against our party, which are in total negation of the spirit and letters
of the peace accord.”
The PDP warned that should the APC fail to heed their warning to curb its aggression against the party, they will not hesitate to call out their members in their millions because “Nigeria belongs to all of us.”