REVELATIONS by Bauchi State Governor Isa Yuguda on the
stoning of President Goodluck Jonathan in the state during a
campaign rally was said to have shocked the Presidency and the
national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party.
Yuguda, in an interview with the BBC Hausa service , said that the
stoning and the attack on the President were carried out by
members of the ruling PDP.
Before now, the Presidency and the ruling party had accused the
opposition All Progressives Congress of being the mastermind of
the attack.
Special Adviser to the President on Political Affairs, Prof. Rufai
Alkali, and the PDP Presidential Campaign Office, however insisted
that the attack was carried out by the APC.
But Yuguda, a member of the National Executive Committee of the
PDP, insisted that those who organised the youths that threw
stones and pelted the President with sachet water, were members
of the party from Abuja.
The governor said, “I am sure and let the world know that the
people who did this thing were PDP members and those politicians
in Abuja were the ones behind it; they were not APC members.
“They found these youths on the road and gave them brooms and
satchets of water and they instructed them that when the President
was passing they should raise the brooms and throw the satchets
of water at him.
“They did that so that the President would think that Isa Yuguda is
against him. They have been telling him in Abuja that we are not
supporting him. They did that to show the President that Isa
Yuguda is nothing in Bauchi, to show that despite being an
indigene of Bauchi, Isa Yuguda could not be respected with his
guests in Bauchi.”
Yuguda also said that he and members of his cabinet were not
aware of the plan ahead of the rally, saying they were taken by
surprise.
Reacting to the governor’s statement, the Deputy National Publicity
Secretary of the PDP, Alhaji Ibrahim Jalo, said that only the
governor was in a position to clarify his statement on the matter.
Jalo said, “How can my party be organising stoning? Anyway,
Yuguda has spoken on the issue. He should be the one to clarify
his position on the matter.
“I was in Bauchi that day and I saw what happened. The governor
said it was done by PDP members. Ask him to speak further on it.”
However, a presidency source described the governor’s statement
as unfortunate.
“How can he speak like that? We have condemned it; the party has
condemned it and now, he’s blaming the party for this. That’s
bad,” a presidential aide, who spoke on condition of anonymity
because he was not allowed to speak officially on the matter, told
our correspondent.
The National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Alhaji Lai Mohammed,
said he was happy that Yuguda was able to summon the courage
to clarify what happened in the state.
Mohammed said, “Governor Yuguda’s interview has vindicated the
APC and confirmed our position that the PDP and President
Goodluck Jonathan will stop at nothing to scuttle this election.
“It is sad that in their desperation PDP and Jonathan are ready to
bring down the nation.
“Thanks to Governor Yuguda. The whole world now sees the
hypocrisy and perfidy of President Jonathan and the PDP.
“In Jos, Kano, Bauchi, Rivers and other states we have witnessed
electoral violence, PDP are the instigators and aggressors.”
But the Director of Media and Publicity of the PDP presidential
campaign organisation, Femi Fani-Kayode, warned the APC on
Sunday to stop blaming the ruling party for the attacks on the
President.
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Monday, January 26, 2015
The attack on the President were carried out by members of PDP.
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