The Peoples Democratic Party Presidential Campaign Council was attacked by suspected thugs in Maiduguri, Borno State, twenty-four hours ago, and the opposition party has vowed to submit the matter to the National Peace Committee.
The PDP accused the All Progressives Congress of masterminding the attack, which the party and the Borno State police command both rejected.
Several vehicles were vandalized during the attack on the convoy of the PDP presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, which was blamed on the governing party by the PDP Presidential campaign spokesperson, Senator Dino Melaye.
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Despite the fact that no deaths were immediately recorded, Melaye stated that 70 people were hospitalized and dozens of vehicles were vandalized.
However, Bayo Onanuga, the Director of Media and Publicity for the APC Presidential Campaign Council, stated that the incident could be the consequence of infighting inside the PDP’s Borno State chapter, and that the APC had no involvement in the violence.
Dele Momodu, the Coordinator of the Atiku-Okowa Presidential Campaign Council on Strategic Communications, stated at a news conference in Abuja on Thursday that the council would formally report the assault on Atiku’s motorcade to the Abdulsalami Abubakar-led National Peace Committee.
Momodu also revealed that the campaign council was preparing evidence to be given to the police.
He added, ‘’When we say we are going to make a formal report it is not that it has not been reported. We have a director of security at the Atiku Campaign Organisation. The director, as I speak to you, is compiling evidence of what happened.
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‘’When we do that we will also send to the peace committee to know that these people are threatening the peace of fellow Nigerians; that is what we mean by a formal report.
‘’Yesterday (Wednesday), we were attacked in Borno state. We’ve been attacked in Kaduna and it’s so unfortunate because there was a peace accord that was signed by most of the presidential candidates. So, we plan to report formally to the security authorities, we plan to report to the Peace Commission because democracy is not by force, it is a game of choice.’’
Speaking further, the campaign council said, ‘’So, if I choose to support my candidate, there shouldn’t be any problem with that. So firing dane guns, throwing stones and all manner of weapons, for me, is a very unfortunate development.’’
Momodu highlighted his party’s concern over the campaign trail violence and condemned the Borno state police command’s comments denying the incident.
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However, Festus Keyamo, the APC PCC’s Chief Spokesman, criticized the PDP’s stated strategy to petition the Peace Accord Committee.
Keyamo, who accused the opposition party of being befuddled, warned that no recognized legislation empowered the ad hoc committee to penalize or reject any candidate or party.
He said, “You know the PDP is factionalised in all the states of the federation and at the national level. The show of shame we saw in Maiduguri was the PDP factions fighting themselves. I am sure the whole of Nigeria saw it too on Wednesday.
“Now, they have G-5, G-1, G-3. Sometimes, we even wonder if the PDP spokesmen are speaking on behalf of the G-5 or G-1 or the candidate. We are not sure on whose behalf they speak again.”
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