CPC holds a massive rally in Niger against police advice
- Details
- Category: Politics
- Published on Friday, 04 March 2011 10:07
- Written by Daily Trust
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The Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) yesterday went ahead with its rally in Minna, Niger State, in spite of an order issued by the Niger State Police Command asking it to shift the event to a later date.
When contacted on the flouted order and the number of its men posted to the place, the Police Public Relations Officer Mr Richard Oguche said the police never stopped the party from holding the rally, saying that “we only advised them based on security reports and it was at their discretion whether to go ahead or not.
“We had three different rallies in the state at the same time. We deployed 3,000 police officers along Lapai, Bida, Agaie route where Buhari’s convoy passed through. If they had listened to us to postpone their rally more police officers would have been sent to the venue of the campaign”, he said.
Daily Trust observed that party supporters had gathered at the Minna Polo Ground as early as 10am yesterday, but the CPC presidential candidate General Muhammadu Buhari only got to the venue around 5: 35pm.
Like in the North-West flag- off in Kaduna which took place a day earlier; the CPC presidential candidate didn’t give flags to the party’s North Central governorship candidates who were in attendance.
In his 10-minutes address, Buhari described the PDP's 12-year rule as a disaster to the country, adding that PDP must be voted out in the forthcoming polls.
Also, the National Chairman of the People’s Redemption Party (PRP) and governor of defunct Kaduna State, Alhaji Abdulkadir Balarabe Musa said the party had adopted Buhari as its presidential candidate and presented the party’s flag to him at the rally.
The PRP chieftain said the rally has shamed the PDP, “This gathering has put to shame the opposition. We are never discouraged or scared. We are instead encouraged by their threats and intimidation.”
All the North central governorship candidates of the party that included Nasarawa’s Tanko Al-Makura; Kwara’s Abdulrahman Abdulrazak; Niger’s Ibrahim Bako Shettima; and Chief Solomon Ewuga, among others were there.
The CPC Vice presidential candidate, Pastor Tunde Bakare; the North Central Zonal Coordinator of CPC Presidential Campaign Organisation, Dr. Hasan Lawal; CPC’s National Chairman and Secretary, Prince Tony Momoh and Buba Galadima respectively also attended the rally. The rally ended peacefully around 6:05 pm.
