Congress
free, fair, says party official
•Governor
sympathises with victims, orders probe
•Buhari,
Atiku supporters clash in Adamawa
•Wike
revokes licence of host hotel
The local
government delegate congress of the All Progressives Congress (APC) witnessed
alleged skirmishes in some northern states. In Kaduna, armed thugs
yesterday
wounded two journalists and held the representatives of the central and
northern senatorial districts of the state, Shehu Sani, Suleiman Hunkuyi and
others hostage.
Others who
tasted the bitter experience were House of Representatives member, Alhaji
Mohammed Musa Soba, party chieftain, Ahmed Tijjani Ramalan, former governorship
aspirant, Isah Ashiru, one-time Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) state chairman
Yaro Makama and erstwhile governorship candidate of the defunct Congress for
Progressive Challenge (CPC), Alhaji Haruna Sa’ed.
The incident
occurred during a visit to the secretariat of the Nigeria Union of Journalists
(NUJ) in Kaduna where the senators, their supporters and other aggrieved party
members had gone to protest the alleged manipulation of the exercise by the
power that be.
But things
went awry when the thugs invaded the venue, vandalising vehicles and inflicting
injuries on one Lawal Mohammed of Kaduna-based Liberty TV and an unnamed
cameraman with the Africa Independent Television (AIT) in the process.
However, the
Acting State Publicity Secretary, Salisu Tanko, has scored the congress high,
describing the dissenters as “disgruntled elements who want to tarnish the
reputation of the party.”
He
particularly saluted the delegates, stalwarts and members for demonstrating
cohesion and party spirit, adding that the state chapter of the APC fully
welcomed the outcome.
Sani and his
co-voyagers, who alleged that what took place was selection and not election,
were, however, smuggled out of the venue un-lynched by a reinforced police team
while the victims were hospitalised.
The Commissioner
of Police, Agyole Abeh, assured the citizenry that the incident would be
probed. “We will investigate the matter,” he stated.
In the
meantime, Governor Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai has condemned the incident. He,
therefore, ordered an enquiry into the immediate and remote causes of the
fracas.
El-Rufai
also directed security agencies to beef up security at the NUJ secretariat to
protect newsmen in the course of duty.
The
directives were contained in a statement by his spokesman, Samuel Aruwan. He
warned that the state government would not tolerate any attempt to muzzle the
press and innocent citizens.
Besides,
loyalists of President Muhammadu Buhari and former Vice President Atiku
Abubakar have clashed in Yola, thus deepening the protracted crisis rocking the
Adamawa State chapter of the ruling party. The clash follows the move to take
control of the soul of the political grouping.
The Buhari
supporters are accusing Governor Mohammed Umaru Bindow of backing the state
executives to allegedly impose delegates and come out with an outcome they
considered not reflective of the weekend’s exercise.
A chieftain,
Alhaji Umar Iya, claimed that all loyalists of the President were locked out.
Also
yesterday, Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State revoked the Certificate of
Occupancy of a Port Harcourt-based hotel allegedly used as the venue for the
contentious APC congress.
The party’s
candidate representing Rivers East in the Senate, Magnus Abe, had described the
exercise as a sham.
The governor
made the announcement during the second session of the third synod of the
Anglican Diocese of Evo in Port Harcourt. He alleged that the facility was used
as a centre of electoral fraud and malpractice.
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