Dino Melaye, the spokesman for Atiku Abubakar’s presidential campaign council, has been chastised by the Nigeria Police for claiming that the presidential candidate’s convoy was attacked in Maiduguri on Wednesday (today).
WITHIN NIGERIA previously reported that Atiku and his entourage arrived in Jos today to hold his presidential rally at Ramat Square in Borno State.
Shortly after the rally began, it was reported that hoodlums attacked Abubakar’s motorcade in Maiduguri, injuring at least 74 people and vandalizing several vehicles.
However, the State Police spokesman, ASP Kamilu Shatambaya, told reporters that the allegation was baseless and untrue.
Shatambaya called the report that Abubakar was attacked while speaking at a rally in Maiduguri “dishonest.”
He called the story a hoax and an attempt by some misguided people to incite disturbances and disrupt the state’s peaceful coexistence.
He explained that the rally went off without a hitch under tight and adequate security.
The candidate was accompanied to the Shehu of Borno’s palace after which he was accompanied to the Ramat Square where he addressed his supporters.
The Commissioner of Police, Mr Abdu Umar, was also at the venue to ensure that everything went on successfully.
However, one Danladi Abbas (32) was arrested on Airport Road, Maiduguri, for throwing stones at the motorcade of the presidential candidate.
Abbas and other hoodlums attempted to disrupt the motorcade, but they were chased, and luckily one of them was arrested and taken away for questioning, he said.
Shatambaya said nobody had reported any case of an attack to any police station within Maiduguri and Jere.
“We also went round hospitals to ascertain the claim that more than 74 persons were hospitalized, but no such patient was found,’’ he added.
Dino also accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) of trying to stop PDP’s campaign in Borno by deploying thugs to attack its supporters.
He said:
They deployed their thugs to attack our motorcade with stones, sticks, machetes as we left the Shehu’s palace to come to Ramat Square, all in an attempt to stop our rally.
He lamented that the thugs were deployed strategically along the motorcade route.
We want to assure them that nobody can stop us,’ Dino said.
Reacting to Melaye’s allegation, the Chairman of the APC in Borno, Mr Ali Bukar Dalori, said there was no attack by any APC member or supporter on any motorcade of any opposition party in the state.
Dalori stressed that Melaye was always economical with the truth.
I am disappointed by the allegations made by Dino Melaye that some APC thugs attacked Abubakar’s motorcade while in Maiduguri for a rally.
We all know that since Gov. Babagana Zulum took over the mantle of leadership, he banned all forms of thuggery in the state.
Our ruling party is a law-abiding political party, and that is why we as government did not deny PDP a venue for its rally as experienced in some states.
All I know is that there is no PDP in Borno, and if Melaye lacks what to tell the people of Borno to get their votes, he should desist from fabricating lies against our party, Dalori said.