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Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP) members, yesterday in Kano,
disrupted a gathering of the party and paraded an effigy
of President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua, even as they chanted
that former President Olusegun Obasanjo was preferable
to them. National vice chairman of the party (North West
), Dr Danladi Sankara, was almost lynched in the melee.
LEADERSHIP SUNDAY
gathered that the party
youths made a donkey-like depiction of the president,
chanting that the president was a donkey. The cardboard
donkey was later torn apart. The irate party men also
chanted pro-Obasanjo songs - saying "Up Obasanjo" - and
danced around with the donkey effigy singing, "Yar'Adua
is a donkey."
The incident occurred at the
formal inauguration of the recently reconstituted state
executive council of the party at its state secretariat.
The incident also led to the destruction of the rear
shield of the car of the former governor of Kano State,
Abubakar Rimi.
Our correspondent gathered that
no sooner had Dr Sankara took to the podium to address
the teeming supporters of the party, than he was booed
and heckled by the effigy-carrying youths, saying he had
betrayed the party in the state for courting Governor
Shekarau to decamp to PDP.
But the main drama
occurred when the national leader was about to leave
venue. Perhaps reading the faces and possible intent of
the furious youths who still booed and threw all manner
of things at his direction, the party chieftains decided
to smuggle him out of the secretariat in Abubakar Rimi's
tinted car.
However, the device employed by the
party officials would not work as the vigilant youth
spotted Dr. Sankara in Rimi's vehicle. They continued
throwing pebbles leading at the car and smashing the
rear shield of the car.
Some of the protesters
who spoke to our reporter said that they are angry
because the president does not consult the state party
leaders in his appointments. They also called the
President unprintable names saying he is "sluggish."
A PDP stalwart among the protesting youth, Gali
Habibu, said they want to openly show their anger with
the demonstration. Since they have no voice that could
reach the president with ease, they decided to use the
inauguration ceremony to express their anger.
Gali Habibu added that the PDP supporters in the
state were extremely disappointed and baffled by the way
President YarAdua shares political appointments. "Look
at the way we worked for the president in Kano and how
we ensured that he became president. But at the end of
the day he shunned us. Can you imagine that no
politician from Kano is appointed either as minister,
ambassador or special adviser to the present?" Habibu
asked rhetorically. He said as far as party supporters
are concerned, the two ministers from the state are of
no use "since they are not politicians".
On the
courting of Gov Shekarau and other governors by PDP
leadership, he said some disgruntle elements within the
party are "working to transform the party to a
prostitute of sorts". According to him, they can not
tolerate what he called 'useless courting of people from
other parties'. |
