Why Police disrupt PDP rally in Jigawa
Police State in Jigawa State have dispersed many supporters and members of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, during a flag-off of the party’s zonal campaign rally in Gumel Local Government Area of the state.
DAILY NIGERIAN gathered from a police source that the party’s rally was disrupted for allegedly holding the campaign rally without police approval.
However, speaking to newsmen, the Jigawa North West Vice Chairman and former commissioner of information, Babandi Ibrahim-Gumel, said the party had written to the commissioner of police in the state seeking permission 48 hours before the campaign.
According to him, the police commissioner formally granted their request.
He said: “It was today in the morning the commissioner of police called our chairman committee on security for the 2019 election campaign, notifying him that we have to cancel our rally because he realized that it was a market day.
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“Cancelling the rally was not going to be possible because over 150,000 members have been mobilized for the rally from state and visitors from outside the state. So, there is no way you could stop them because they have already started coming.
“It’s quite unfortunate that when we came to the venue, police have already sieged the area and started discharging our supporters with teargas.
“The same constitution that makes the Inspector General of Police, President Muhammad Buhari and Jigawa State Government, gives us right to campaign for the 2019 general election. So, there is no basis for denying us our constitutional right.”
Mr Ibrahim-Gumel, therefore, accused the All Progressives Congress, APC of masterminding the siege, threatening to drag the party and the state commissioner of police to court.
When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer, Abdu Jinjiri, said he could not talk on the matter because he had not been briefed.
Source: DAILY NIGERIAN
