Backlash of PDP Presidential Primary - Protests in Katsina, Jigawa, Adamawa

There were protests in Katsina, the capital of Katsina State, and Hadejia, in Jigawa State at the weekend over the voting pattern by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) northern delegates to the presidential primary election in Abuja held last Thursday.

In the two states, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, who hails from the Northern State of Adamawa, lost to President Goodluck Jonathan by a wide margin. While Katsina State’s 147 delegates voted in favour of Jonathan, only 11 of them voted for Atiku. In Jigawa State, 100 delegates voted for Jonathan, while only 17 voted for Atiku Abubakar.

Also, in Adamawa State, there was disquiet yesterday over the voting pattern of the state’s PDP delegates at the convention. The delegates from Adamawa, the state of origin of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, voted 76 to 31 in favour of President Jonathan.

 

In all, President Jonathan defeated the former vice president after polling 2,763, while Atiku got 803 votes. Jonathan won votes in all the northern states except Kano, Zamfara and Sokoto states where Atiku won.

Going by the PDP’s constitution, the 2011 presidency is zoned to the North. A northern group, the Northern Political Leaders Forum (NPLF), came up with Alhaji Atiku as the consensus candidate to contest the ticket on behalf of the North. But he lost at the PDP presidential primaries last Thursday.

Sunday Trust gathered that the four northern presidential aspirants who accepted Atiku as consensus candidate, met in Abuja last night to discuss the outcome of the PDP primary. They include Atiku Abubakar, General Ibrahim Babangida, General Aliyu Gusau and Kwara State Governor, Bukola Saraki.

A source at the Atiku Campaign Organisation told Sunday Trust that a meeting of the Turaki Vanguard scheduled for yesterday was called off because of the G-4 meeting yesterday. As at yesterday, the former Vice President had not given his formal reaction to the primary election, saying he will speak only after consulting his supporters.

YOUTHS CHANT ‘WE DON’T LIKE IT’ IN KATSINA

Our correspondent in Katsina who monitored the protest, reported that some youths took over some streets chanting ba mu so “we don’t like” slogan, destroying the flags and membership cards of the PDP. They also rained insults on delegates from the state who voted for President Jonathan.

Speaking to newsmen during the procession, a leader of the group, Ahmed Yazid Rafindadi, said they  found it expedient to express their disagreement  in view of the alleged injustice meted out to  them by delegates who refused to respect the zoning agreement reached by the party earlier.

He said about 39,000 of them had, due to the development, resolved to renounce their membership of the ruling party and will meet to choose and support any northern candidate on whatever platform.

Sunday Trust reports that, as soon as the outcome of the primaries became public, people converged on various places in Katsina, discussing and expressing anger and condemnation over how the state’s delegates “selfishly jettisoned the zoning arrangement.”

The issue similarly attracted widespread condemnation during prayers at virtually all the Juma’at mosques in Katsina last Friday. At the Kokar Kaura Central Mosque, Sheikh Habibu Kaura, who flayed the state representatives for betraying the people’s mandate, said it will be Islamically improper for them to be voted into power in the forthcoming elections.

Also speaking to Sunday Trust, a prominent stalwart of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Ali Sani, said the delegates who voted at the primaries did not reflect the wishes and aspirations of their people who massively supported zoning.

He alleged that governors compelled the delegates to do the president’s bidding, and warned that the governors will face a backlash during the forthcoming April general elections. There have been text massages circulating in the state asking people to vote a particular presidential candidate against incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan. Also, some persons have made photocopies of the results of the presidential primary, circulating them to despise the state delegates for giving Jonathan the highest number of votes in the country.

Mallam Umar Lawal Isiyaku said, ‘It’s unfortunate how these people wasted the lifetime opportunity given to them, for fear of losing their positions or offending their masters.”


PROTESTERS DESTROY PDP BILLBOARDS, FLAGS

In a related development, many angry youths in Hadejia Local Government Area of Jigawa State staged a riotous protest against the victory of President Jonathan last week.

The youths, who took over major streets of Hadejia town, on Friday night, also set fire on some PDP billboards and flags erected by the party’s faithfuls all over the town as part of campaigns ahead of the forthcoming general elections.

An eyewitness account revealed that the aggrieved youths went round the town chanting various condemnation slogans against Governor Sule Lamido and President Goodluck Jonathan.

Some of the slogans, included: “Ba ma yi” (we are not in support of it) “2011 Nigeria sai mai gaskiya,” (only trustworthy persons can govern Nigeria) a slogan synonymous with General Muhammadu Buhari, the presidential candidate of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC). Others: “Ba mu yarda da cuwa-cuwa ba,” (We disagree with shady dealings) and “Lamido ka cuce mu,” (Lamido, you have cheated us), among other slogans.

Sunday Trust also gathered that although there was no clash between the protesters and the PDP followers, police and other security agencies had beefed up security in the town in anticipation of the continuation of the protest the next day.

When contacted, the PDP Chairman in Hadejia, Alhaji Muhammad Nabankin Dogo, confirmed the incident, but said the protesters were boys between the ages of 10 and 12. He added that the protest was organized by some CPC boys in response to the rumours that flooded Hadejia town that CPC had given Dr Lawan Muhammaed its gubernatorial ticket.

The Chairman said further that the Divisional Police Officer in charge of Hadejia had informed him that the protesters were minors, hence the police could not make any arrests.

Although there was no protest in Dutse, the state capital, President Jonathan’s victory in the PDP primary was the main topic of discussion among various groups in the state capital. People could be seen discussing the issue in groups.

When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Abdu Jinjiri, said he did not receive any signal from Hadejia Local Government in respect of the riot, but he promised to get back to Sunday Trust whenever he got signal.

PDP MEMBERS DENOUNCE GOVERNOR NYAKO IN YOLA

In Yola, Adamawa State capital, our correspondent gathered that some PDP supporters have begun mobilising forces against Governor Murtala Nyako for alleged betrayal of trust by dumping the former vice president at the PDP Presidential primaries.

Speaking to newsmen on Saturday, a former presidential aspirant under the defunct SDP, Alhaji Muhammadu Abubakar Baba-Ladan, noted that  the state governor, “has disappointed  the great PDP members in the state by allowing himself to be intimidated and   used as puppet by Jonathan in the quest for power,” he said.

According to him, “as a mark of sympathy and solidarity with the former vice president, aggrieved party members will rally support to dislodge Nyako ahead of the general elections. It is unfortunate that Jonathan polled all votes in his home state Bayelsa, while Atiku scored only 31 in Adamawa state. What a shame to the people of this great state!”

Also speaking, an analyst in the state, Mr Josia Markus, argued that Nyako might not find it easy again. “The reason is that Atiku, as I gathered, assured Nyako from the initial stage that he will not fight his seat and I believe that’s why, he (Nyako) earlier promised to support the former vice president, only at the tail-end to renege on such agreement,” he noted.

Confirming the situation, Nyako’s new event organiser, Alhaji Uba Dan Arewa, said already, there were text messages circulating, campaigning against the state governor and other governors who supported Jonathan.


AREWA YOUTHS’ VOW TO WORK AGAINST ANTI-ZONING GOVERNORS

In Kaduna yesterday, a group that claimed to represent youths from across the 19 northern states, rose from an emergency meeting threatening to deal with all the governors in the region who intimidated delegates to vote against former Vice President Atiku Abubakar during last Thursday’s PDP presidential primary.

Worried by the development, the youth converged on Arewa House, Kaduna, to reflect on the primaries under the auspices of the Arewa Citizens Action for Change (ACAC), Arewa Youth Development Foundation and the Arewa Students Forum.

Briefing newsmen on the outcome of their meeting yesterday, the National Secretary of ACAC, Comrade Sani M. Darma, said ‘’We have vowed to do everything beginning from this moment to ensure that traitors in Katsina, Nasarawa, Kaduna, Plateau, Adamawa, Taraba, Bauchi, Benue and Kogi States are voted out in April. We repeat, they must go for their treachery.’’

They alleged that the governors greedily sold their collective and individual conscience for immediate stipends and promise of a future political security.