protesters burning umbrellas and PDP flag
The youths, who barricaded the road for some time, created tension in the area as passersby scampered away for safety. The youths who came on motorcycles were chanting “Ba muson PDP,” meaning they don’t want PDP.
They destroyed several umbrellas [the PDP symbol] as well as the party’s flags and banners. They also attempted to enter the Kaduna secretariat of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) but the chairman of the state council, Alhaji Yusuf Idris quickly ordered for the closure of the secretariat.
Speaking to our correspondent, one of the protesting youths, Adamu Mohammed, said they decided to denounce the PDP following the way that last Thursday’s primaries was conducted.
He said, “We are doing this to show our displeasure in the sham primaries they conducted. There is no internal democracy in the party at all. For them to dump zoning, we are also dumping the party and we are going to work against them.’’
Chairman of the Kaduna council of NUJ Alhaji Yusuf Idris said they decided to lock the secretariat because the press centre was not meant for protest. He also said the protesters did not tell the NUJ leaders that they were coming.
Meanwhile, Daily Trust gathered that Vice President Sambo decided to postpone his voters’ registration in Kaduna because of “unfavourable security reports.” The Vice President had been expected to perform the civic responsibility at a special polling unit at Shooting Range, near the Almanar Juma’at Mosque Close, a stone’s throw from his Kaduna residence.
Dozens of security men were drafted to the area. All roads leading to the shooting range polling unit were fortified by security men. The VP’s advanced team had arrived the Shooting Range polling unit around 2.pm.
Special Assistant to the Vice President on Media, Alhaji Sani Umar had told our correspondent that the VP would be coming to the state for the voter registration. Newsmen from both electronic and print media houses waited for hours at the Shooting Range. The news of the cancellation of the VP’s trip was broken to the newsmen at 4.10 pm.
Meanwhile, in Bauchi state, the police had to disperse a group of youths who were protesting over the emergence of President Goodluck Jonathan as the flag bearer of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the 2011 presidential election.
Our correspondent who monitored the protest reported that the youths took over Nasarawa and Ran roads chanting bamuso, Bamuyin Jonathan, meaning “we don’t want”, “we are not doing [i.e. supporting] Jonathan.” They burnt several PDP flags and an umbrella. Men of the Special Anti robbery Squad as well as soldiers in an Army Hilux truck followed the protesting youths along the streets and dispersed them before they could hold a rally.
Leader of the protesters, Comrade Aliyu Ladan, said they were disappointed with the northern governors who they said compelled their delegates to vote for Jonathan. Ladan threatened that they will decamp from PDP and would do everything to frustrate Jonathan’s election in the North.
He said the PDP national leadership did not follow the zoning formula of allowing the north to produce the party’s next presidential candidate. He said, “They should have allowed the northern part of the country to complete its four years before going for any negations. Already, the south have finished their tenure through Obasanjo, so therefore it is now is the turn of north to rule for eight years. All our elders, women, and youth in the state are going out of the party (PDP), because the youth are the majority of Nigerian voters.”
Bauchi State Publicity Secretary of PDP Sani Al’amin Mohammed however said PDP youths don’t take laws in their hands and advised the protesting youth, “if they are genuine PDP members,” to come forward and express their grievances peacefully.
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