There is uneasy calm in Niger State as the Governor of Kano State, Alhaji Rabiu Kwankwaso; the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun; former Kwara State Governor, Dr. Bukola Saraki, and other national officers of the party were on Thursday denied access to the venue of the party’s rally in Minna, Niger State.
The APC stalwarts were in Niger State to rally support for Barrister David Umaru, the party’s senatorial candidate for the Niger East Senatorial District bye-election that is coming up on Saturday.
The rally that was to hold at the Minna Polo Ground in Minna Niger State.
It was stopped by officers and men of the Nigeria Police Force.
Other stalwarts of the APC denied entry to the venue of the rally were the National Deputy Chairman for the North Central, Senator Lawal Shuaibu; the National Secretary, Alhaji Mai Mala; the National Treasurer, Bala Mohammed; the state party Chairman, Engr. Mohammed Imam Jibrin; the state chairmen from Kwara, Kano and Plateau States; and a member of the Board of Trustees of the party, Major General Idris Garba.
They were forced to move from one venue to another in search of an alternative but their moves were eventually punctuated.
It was reliably gathered that the APC officials visited the two Generals in the state, Generals Ibrahim Badamosi Banangida and Abdulsalami Alhaji Abubakar.
The party supporters drove in a long convoy with brooms in their hands, going from one street to the other and shouting party slogans.
The spokesman for the party in Niger State, Comrade Jonathan Vatsa, described the step taken by the police as very unfortunate, but vowed that it will not in any way affect their popularity.
According to Vatsa: “We had applied to use the venue on the 24th but were denied because PDP choose the same time.
“We sought approval from the police to hold our rally.
“Each time we apply, they will tell us PDP is having their rally the same time, day and venue.
“That is exactly what is happening today again.
“They told us they cannot grant us the approval and you know the electoral law, which states that parties should stop campaigning 24 hours to the election and today is the only day we have and they still denied us.
“Anybody, anywhere who is denying us of not having our rally is infringing on our fundamental human rights and tampering with our citizenship.
“They are not being fair to us.
“They are afraid of us since our candidate emerged.
“PDP has been having sleepless night.”
Garba said to the policemen who barred the APC members: “It is our right to associate.
“You (the police) are trying to deny us our right.
“How can you deprive us from doing our rally and allow the other party to do theirs?
“It is our right to exercise our right.
“Our people are at the APC secretariat and after which they are coming here but you have deprived us.”
At the end, most of the party’s supporters eventually found their ways back to the entrance of the venue at Polo Ground and dared the police as they were addressed by top party stalwarts.
However, Odigie-Oyegun and other national officers were unable to return to the Polo Ground venue of the rally as they went round the town in another convoy.
As at the time of filing this report, all attempts by journalists to get the national officials to speak failed.