Governor Ramalan Yero of Kaduna State, has denied that there was an attack on the senatorial candidate of the All Progressive Congress in Southern Kaduna Zone, Ishaku Shekarau.
APC had accused supporters of the Peoples Democratic Party of attacking Mr. Shekarau on Saturday in Fadan Kagoma, Jema’a Local Government area of the state.
Mr. Shekarau, who was in company APC stalwarts, said he was in the town to attend the annual Gwong Day celebration when he was “attacked by the thugs who were wielding dangerous weapons as they chanted PDP slogans in the venue”.
Denying the attack in his reaction through his Director General Media and Publicity, Ahmed Maiyaki on Monday in Kaduna, Yero said a witness of the event, one Timothy Bakut, said it was very calm and peaceful, and proceeded just as planned by the organisers.
“The festival was going on as planned and the mood was calm. You could feel the euphoria in the air. However, this peace and tranquility was short lived by the arrival of Dr Ishaku Shekarau and a band of his hooligans and thugs in the name of APC supporters!
“At his arrival (which was late of course), the whole peace and general calmness disappeared! It was replaced by the usual ranting and chanting of APC supporters, “CHANGI DOLE!” Their noise was so loud that it overshadowed the mics and speakers used at the event!
“This partly contributed to why Shekarau did not hear when the ushers were telling him where his seat was, he then went for another invited guest’s seat. It happened that the gentleman just returned from relieving himself and he explained to Dr. Shekarau that the seat belongs to him.
“This was all the APC supporters needed to disrupt the event and they started raining down obscenities as well as chanting their usual slogan! These led to commotion and an altercation ensued between them and the peaceful youth of the land there present. For it was obvious that the APC supporters had no iota of respect for leaders and the memory of Yakowa! The youth overpowered and outrun the thugs from the gathering so that peace was restored once again.
“It is regrettable that in the midst of all the razzmatazz some APC vehicles got their wind screen smashed but so were other private vehicles there too. These was a general commotion between political thugs and youth but as usual the APC chose the PDP to blame and they did this so quickly even while people were still at the event!
“We have seen political violence and we know the party associated with it, so cheap blackmail for political sympathy won’t save the opposition party from imminent defeat come 11th April 2015!” Mr. Yero said in the statement.
“It is so sad that people I hold in high regards will stoop so low as to spreading cheap lies in order to blackmail and score cheap political point against the PDP! We need to know the truth of what really happened at that event.
“It is no hidden secret that a trouble maker is usually the first to cry foul at a fight he starts”. Mr. Yero added.
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