PDP MEMBERS ARE THE INSTIGATORS AND AGGRESSORS OF ELECTORAL VIOLENCE - PDP GOVERNOR, ISA YUGUDA OF BAUCHI.

 

Bauchi governor, Isa Yuguda, has destabilised the PDP universe. The governor made the shocking claim last week that when Pres. Jonathan visited Bauchi last week and was stoned, the attack was not carried out by APC members but by members from the president’s own party – the PDP.

Yuguda said in an interview which he granted with the BBC Hausa Service that PDP members from Abuja carried out the attack in order to embarrass him (the governor).

“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,” he said.

His statement has however not been received too well by members of his party, especially because APC members are now using it as ammunition and defence.

Reports say that both the Presidency and the national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party are shocked and disappointed by Yuguda’s utterances.

It is unclear which Abuja politicians Yuguda was referring to as being behind the attack, but both the national chairman of the PDP, Adamu Muazu, and the FCT minister, Bala Mohammed are from Bauchi state.

Aso Rock is however still insisting that the attacks were carried out by the APC and not the PDP. The Special Adviser to the President on Political Affairs, Prof. Rufai Alkali, said that the PDP had no hand in the attacks.

Alkali’s statement was reechoed by the Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Alhaji Ibrahim Jalo, who added that: “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.”

A national newspaper quoted an unnamed source in the presidency who was also befuddled by Yuguda’s claims.

“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,” he said.

The APC in a reaction through its National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Alhaji Lai 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.”