There was pandemonium yesterday at the Abuja national secretariat of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), as youths, mainly street urchins, engaged in a bloody clash outside the party’s office.
Many of the pro-Atiku youths and women supporters donning T-shirts with the politician’s portrait had gathered outside the party’s secretariat as early as 9 am, awaiting his arrival to submit his nomination forms.
But shortly after Atiku’s arrival, another group of youths emerged, bearing the flag and other paraphernalia with the logo and signature colours of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
As soon as the pro-Atiku youths sighted them, they charged at them with cudgels, sticks and other weapons, leading to a bloody clash that disrupted business activities.
The fracas, which lasted about 25 minutes, left some of the youths injured, as a handful of them suffered broken heads and fractured limbs.
It took the intervention of the police manning the party secretariat to disperse the youths. They shot into the air before the situation could be brought under control.
Besides Atiku, other aspirants who came to submit their nomination forms included Alhaji Sule Lamido, Abia State Governor Okezie Ikpeazu, Taraba State Governor Darius Ishaku and Akwa Ibom State Governor Udom Emmanuel.
Others were a former governor of Kaduna State, Ramalan Yero and Mohammed Sani Bello, who are both contesting for the governorship of the state.
PDP had warned the leadership of APC to control its suspected thugs, who the opposition party said were detailed to disrupt activities at its national secretariat.
The PDP linked the invasion by thugs of its secretariat to anxiety in the APC camp over the “renewed surge” of Nigerians to the opposition party ahead of the 2019 elections.
“The ruling party’s resort to banditry and violent attack on our secretariat is a handshake taken beyond the elbow and will not be tolerated,” spokesman Kola Ologbondiyan said in a statement.
The statement further said: “The whole world witnessed with dismay, how APC thugs, brandishing their party’s famished brooms and charms; armed with machetes and other weapons, stormed our national secretariat, which has become a beehive of activities and attacked and injured our members and supporters before they were dispelled by security operatives.
“The PDP has repeatedly warned against APC’s proclivity for violence and unprovoked attacks, but we never imagined that their desperation for power will drive them to the insanity of attacking our national secretariat.
“Intelligence report available to the PDP shows that the thugs were assembled and mobilised from the national secretariat of the APC.
“We, therefore, urge security agencies, who also witnessed this attack, to investigate this development, arrest and prosecute all individuals and officials of APC connected with the attack.
“Moreover, the unleashing of thugs by the APC against our law-abiding party members and supporters, is particularly revealing of those behind some of the violent attacks on innocent Nigerians in various parts of the country.
“Finally, while the PDP appreciates the overwhelming support by Nigerians across board, our party restates the determination to dismantle all forces of intimidation and rigging machinery of the APC ahead of the 2019 general election.”
Atiku decries incident
Leading presidential aspirant in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and former Vice-President, Atiku Abubakar, has condemned the violent incident perpetrated by trouble makers at the headquarters of PDP in Abuja yesterday.
In a statement in Abuja, the presidential aspirant said it was uncalled for and undemocratic for any group of individuals to turn an otherwise happy political event into a fracas that threatened the lives and well-being of party supporters, who were at the event to support their candidate and party.
The Waziri Adamawa urged supporters of parties to show maturity and allow the democratic process to proceed unhindered in the interest of the parties and aspirants as well as the nation.
He advised his supporters to show restraint even in the face of provocation.
Atiku praised the police and other security personnel for containing the situation and protecting innocent and law-abiding supporters.
He said Nigerians should always allow peace to reign “in order for our leadership selection process to be reliable and credible.”
The former vice-president is optimistic that with the neutral and effective conduct by the police, there is hope that Nigeria will get the 2019 elections right to the satisfaction of all Nigerians.