A dress rehearsal of what is likely to happen during the general elections in Ogun played out on Monday, forcing the presidential rally of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Abeokuta to end abruptly. During the rally at the MKO Abiola Stadium, some aggrieved APC supporters who had decamped to the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), hurled items at the APC gubernatorial candidate, Dapo Abiodun, while his hand was being raised by President Muhammadu Buhari. Security men hurriedly shielded Buhari after hoodlums; carrying APM banners threw objects at the president when he raised Abiodun’s hand. The APC is now saying that the attack on President Buhari, party chairman Adams Oshiomhole, and other party leaders at the rally was sponsored by outgoing Governor Ibikunle Amosun; who though still an APC member is sponsoring Adeunle Akinlade, the APM’s candidate against Abiodun in the governorship race.
“The APC regrets Monday’s premeditated attacks sponsored by Governor Ibikunle Amosun on President Muhammadu Buhari and other senior party leaders at the venue of the presidential campaign rally in Ogun state,” Lanre Issa-Onilu, APC spokesman, said. “The party will review this gross misconduct of deliberately positioning thugs to attack and embarrass the President and the party’s leadership. No single person will be allowed to put his personal and selfish interests ahead of the wishes of the people of Ogun state and elsewhere. This is one act of indiscipline too many. The APC will not condone acts of indiscipline, indiscretion and anti-party activities from any party member no matter how highly placed.”
Many APC supporters, who were waiting for Buhari to tell all APC members to vote for their candidate in the March 2 election, were disappointed as the president after raising Abiodun’s hands, told them to vote for whoever they prefer. The fracas which occurred outside the stadium resulted in injuries to people who were struggling to get inside. It was an embarrassing moment for Governor Amosun who struggled to calm the APM flag carriers. It took the intervention of the security operatives on the podium to block the items being thrown from hitting the president. At a point, the police had to use teargas to disperse the people but it rather fueled the violence. To prevent the situation from further degenerating, the rally was hurriedly ended. Earlier, when Vice President Yemi Osinbajo said the party faithful should “vote APC in all the elections,” the aggrieved supporters shouted him down, and he abruptly ended his speech.
Four days to the elections, the political atmosphere in Ogun is getting tensed, with rising cases of attacks and electoral violence. At the weekend, the campaign train of Abiodun came under fresh attack. It was learnt that the campaign train was on its way to Ofada, shortly after a rally in Owode, Obafemi-Owode LG, when the thugs who ambushed it, shot sporadically and hurled stones at the convoy.
Speaking at the Abeokuta rally, Amosun said: “The other one (governorship race), we will resolve it on March 2. We are respecting President Muhammadu Buhari. Don’t transfer your anger to APC. I have told you that you we will all be one by March 3 and you will come back to APC. You know what to do when it is March 2, but honor me on February 16, (presidential Election Day) and vote for Buhari.”
As soon as Amosun ended his speech, Aregbesola, former Osun Governor took the microphone and in response to Amosun’s remark said: “We are not happy with a hypocrite among us. We are APC, but many people are hypocrites here. We must ensure that in March 2 and February 16, we vote APC.”
Meanwhile, PDP has described the crowd’s behavior in Abeokuta as a direct response by Nigerians to Buhari’s “four years of misrule as depicted in the expansion of poverty, corruption, divisiveness and bloodletting in Nigeria.” In a statement by its national publicity secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, the PDP said: “ Mr. President was pelted in Abeokuta barely 24 hours after his Zamfara state rally on Sunday, where he attempted to incite Nigerians to join the APC in their planned resort to violence to derail the 2019 general election, having realized that they stand no chance of winning the election.”
According to the PDP: “The people of Ogun state, and indeed, the South West, have shown that they are in direct alignment with other states and geo-political zones of our country in rejecting President Buhari and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, whose administration has foisted so much injustice and brought unprecedented pain and anguish to Nigerians.
“Mr. President can now see that Nigerians cannot be bought with N10,000, as he was made to believe by Prof. Osinbajo and members of the cabal in his presidency. “After the unpalatable encounters in all his rallies, Mr. President needs no further signal to show him that the people have completely rejected him, despite his false performance indices. Nigerians are determined to deal him a crushing defeat on February 16 by voting enmasse for the people’s candidate, Atiku Abubakar, as the next President of our country.” The PDP urged President Buhari and the APC to read the handwriting on the wall and get ready to quit.
Meanwhile, the PDP presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has accused Buhari of instigating violence ahead of Saturday’s general elections. Atiku, while addressing PDP supporters during his campaign at the Adokiye Amisenaka Stadium in Port Harcourt, Rivers State yesterday, accused the president of inciting people while campaigning in Zamfara State on Sunday to be prepared to make trouble. Atiku said it was not the first time the president would be preaching violence.
Also speaking, former President Goodluck Jonathan observed that since May 2015 till date, a lot has happened in Nigeria that should spur the people to decide whether to continue on the part of retrogression into which the Buhari’s administration has allegedly plunged the country or to opt for progress, which Atiku represents.
“All the indices of development, be it unemployment, poverty, health, everything that is measured, none of these areas have we made any progress. I believe that you all know that we cannot as a nation continues to stay where we are,” he said. Jonathan said the PDP presidential candidate did not have nepotistic tendencies as he would ensure that anyone who is qualified for a position would be appointed irrespective of whichever part of Nigeria he or she hails from.
Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike said “this week’s election is between two options, dictatorship and darkness which the APC represents and light and freedom which PDP symbolizes.”Sokoto State Governor Aminu Tambuwal said it had become obvious that Buhari was not in charge of the affairs of Nigeria, hence he should be voted out this week to usher Nigeria back on the part of progress. PDP national chairman, Uche Secondus, described the APC as a party in disarray, hence not fit to continue in power. He said the desperation to cling on to power at all costs spurred Kaduna Governor El-Rufai to issue treat to foreigners. According to him, that treat could only be likened to the language of a terrorist.
Amosun, left, watches as Buhari presents Abiodun: hoodlums threw things at the President after this act
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