CPC candidate Buhari, Police clash over Jos rally

Congress for Progressive Change Presidential candidate Gen. Muhammadu Buhari heads for Jos, for his Plateau State campaign launch today against police advice, setting a stage for a clash.

The Police asked the CPC standard bearer to stay away because it has already given approval for the Plateau State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to hold its governorship campaign grand finale.

But the CPC insisted on going ahead because the presidential campaign ought to take precedence over governorship campaign.

CPC National Chairman Prince Tony Momoh said: “It is unacceptable for anybody to tell us to shift our rally. Good sense demands that in order of protocol, the presidential rally comes first. People who want to embarrass the President, would just sit down in a corner playing their master’s dictates to the detriment of democracy. We won’t listen to anyone telling us to go to left or right as it pleases them, because of someone in power.

“We are going to Jos tomorrow, nothing will stop us and the Police must provide the security”, he declared.

Buhari had defied the police ban to hold the CPC rally in Minna as well as a lockout of the Mapo Hall, to speak to his supporters in Ibadan.

Plateau State Police Commissioner Mr. Abdul Rahman Akano had on March 18, written a letter to CPC National Secretary Buba Galadima citing the likelihood of security breach in the state given that the PDP had also slated its rally for the same day.

However, the CPC in its reply on March 19 said its rally could not be cancell because of a local rally being organised by the PDP in another local government.

The CPC said the PDP rally was an afterthought meant to destabilise the CPC’s carefully thought-out planned rally.

The letter read: “your command is hereby called to note the following; that our party, the Congress for Progress Change was first to notify all security agencies, including your command of our intention to hold a rally in Jos on Monday March, 21.

“That the Congress for Progressive Change National Presidential rally holds at Polo field, Jos town, in Jos North Local Government Area, while the PDP rally you have referred to by Governor Jang (Which is an afterthought) holds at Bukuru Stadium at Jos South Local Government Area.

“That National Presidential rally takes precedence over local state rally just as the Plateau State Commissioner of Police cannot overrule the Inspector General of Police.

“You may not be aware but need to know that after our Party secured the Polo field venue, the Plateau Government made overtures to them to return our money and cancel the contracts between us. What this means is that it had always been the intention of the Plateau State government to frustrate the visit by Gen. Buhari to the state.

“We are also not unaware of the intimate relationship between the Plateau State government and State Command especially the Commissioner of Police himself. The frame up, the arrest, detention and prosecution of our party leaders on the orders of the Plateau State government is a case in point.

“It is for the above reason that we reject your advice to the Presidential candidate, General Muhammadu Buhari to reschedule his visit to Jos in preference for Governor Jang’s campaign rally in another local government of Plateau State.

“I am therefore to inform you that General Buhari will be arriving Jos on Monday, the March 21, and will hold his rally at Polo field, Jos. It is expected of you to give him, his entourage and his supporters, security coverage as expected of you by the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”

Akano said: “Gen Buhari is a politician that pulls crowd and I foresee a clash between followers of both parties if I allow them to stage their campaigns same day.

“Besides, the CPC Plateau state chapter has failed to make their campaign itinerary known to the command on time. I held a meeting with all party leaders in Plateau state since January when we all agreed that all the party leaders fielding candidates for this election should submit their campaign tour itinerary to my office. PDP brought theirs; LP also brought their own but up till now, the CPC has not responded to what they agreed.

“the brought the letter about Gen Buhari’s visit on the March 9, and I replied them on the March 11 that PDP has been granted permission for the date they asked for and I suggested to them to take another date.”

CPC Publicity secretary in Plateau state Jamilu Baba said: “we are not under any law to disclose our campaign itinerary to the police and there was never a time we agreed with the police that we will avail them our campaign itinerary. There is no where in the Electoral Act that says a party must seek the permission of the Police before holding its rally.

We are only asked to seek police protection, not permission. We don’t need their approval to do the rally, we are going ahead because we have notified the police. It is God that protects, not the police, said Jamilu Baba.