6 aides injured
Few days after the convoy of President Goodluck Jonathan was stoned in Katsina, when he visited the family of the late President Umaru Yar’Adua, youths in Bauchi State yesterday pelted his convoy and campaign podium with sachet water and stones as he arrived for a presidential campaign rally.
At least six security aides attached to him were injured when supporters alleged to be loyal to the opposition party, attacked the president’s convoy.
The six operatives, of the Department of State Services (DSS), were hospitalized after sustaining injuries from the fracas that ensued after the rally.
The security operatives were in the last bus on the convoy when stones were hurled at them but got injured when one big stone smashed the windscreen.
The occupants according to presidential sources were being prepared to be flown to Abuja for further treatment as at press time.
It was gathered that as the president’s convoy passed through the Nasarawa area of Bauchi, on his way to the palace of Emir of Bauchi, Alhaji Rilwanu Adamu, people threw sachet water and stones at the convoy.
It was also gathered that the president’s billboards and posters were pulled down in Bauchi, few hours to his arrival.
At the rally, Governor Isa Yuguda told the crowd that leadership comes from God, who gives it to whoever He pleases, adding that God has given Jonathan leadership as the president.
“We, the people of the North-East are loyal people. We should support Jonathan, though there may be opposition, which is what politics is all about. People of Bauchi State will vote for Jonathan,” he stated.
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Senator Bala Mohammed, in his speech, said Jonathan had done a lot by appointing many of them from Bauchi to top offices. He stated that he is a minister; Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu is the national chairman of the PDP, Prof. Suleiman Bogoro is TETFUND boss and Ladan Salihu is the FRCN director general.
“All these are as a result of the love Jonathan has for Bauchi people. Let us avoid politics of hate and violence and vote wisely and support the president,” he said.
No sooner had the FCT minister finished speaking than stones, sachets of water and other objects started flying from all directions, while the security personnel quickly stepped in to disperse the surging crowd from causing more harm.
Governor Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom State later mounted the podium and assured the crowd that President Jonathan and the PDP governors were working to bring insecurity to an end, while emphasizing that insurgency did not start during the current administration.
Calling for votes for all PDP candidates, Akpabio stated that when re-elected, President Jonathan would complete all ongoing projects in the country.
In his speech, as he drew huge applause from the crowd, Mu’azu called on all PDP members to work hard to retain the state.
“You know the kind of work I did for Bauchi State and Yuguda has been consolidating. I call on you to vote for the PDP from top (president) to bottom,” he said, as he lifted the hands of the PDP governorship candidate, Auwal Jatua.
Jatau, in his moving speech, which surprisingly calm the crowd, assured the crowd that PDP would not disappoint if elected and promised to work to ensure the integrity of the party.
Vice President Namadi Sambo warned against allowing those bent on fomenting violence using religious sentiments and called on every Nigeria of voting age to ensure that they had their voter’s cards to exercise their rights during the elections.
In his remarks, President Jonathan gave assurance that his administration would work hard to create employment and invest in agriculture to tackle youth restiveness, lamenting that politicians had been exploiting the situation using the unemployed youths for their selfish gains.
He said: “We will continue to pursue the development of our country. Bauchi State is a state that has a lot of potentials for agriculture. We will make sure that we build the dam for them to boost food production through irrigation process and ensure that the women and youths are gainfully engaged.
“Oil as a means of getting wealth is dwindling and we will emphasize more on solid minerals. Bauchi State has a lot of solid minerals, zinc, lead and others. We will work with the sons and daughters of the state to make sure that we exploit them, maximally for the benefit of the Bauchi people and for the benefits of Nigeria.
“Work with our governorship candidate that will take over from Yuguda. He will work with you to make sure that we give you dividends of democracy. Within the period that PDP has been in power, we have done much and we will continue to do. All the people that are castigating us cannot tell us exactly what they have done, but we will work to develop Bauchi and the country.”
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