source: Nigerian Tribune
Governor of Bauchi State, Malam Isa Yuguda, on Saturday said those who pelted President Goodluck Jonathan at Thursday’s Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential rally in the state were PDP members hired by Abuja-based politicians from the state.
The governor cleared the All Progressives Congress (APC) of complicity in the embarrassing episode, which occurred as the president’s convoy made its way to the Emir of Bauchi’s palace. The national leadership of PDP as well as the Presidency had fingered the opposition APC in the attacks, which came on the heels of a similar incident in Katsina State.
But Gov. Yuguda, who is a member of the PDP, in an interview with the BBC Hausa Service yesterday, said the incident was pre-arranged to tarnish his reputation before President Jonathan.
“I am sure and let the world know that the people who did this thing were PDP members and those politicians in Abuja were the ones behind it; they were not APC members.
“They found these youths on the road and gave them brooms and they instructed them that when the president was passing they should raise the brooms and pelt them at him.
“They did that so that the president would think that Isa Yuguda is against him. They have been telling him in Abuja that we are not supporting him. They did that to show the president that Isa Yuguda is nothing in Bauchi, to show that despite being an indigene of Bauchi, Isa Yuguda could not be respected with his guests in Bauchi”, he said.
“We were not aware of the plan ahead of the rally. They took us by surprise. Did you ever heard of such a disgrace to any guest in Bauchi, let alone the president?” he asked.
Asked whether he also knew those behind the burning of the APC office in the state, he said, “I did not know who burnt the APC office in Bauchi. All I know is that these youths were recruited”.