Tension has already rented the air in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, as the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the main opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) hold mega rallies today.
While the APC rally is scheduled to take place at the Eagles Square, PDP rally will be at Old Parade Ground, both in Abuja.
There are clear signs that the rallies by these major political parties scrambling for Nigeria’s seat of power and political leadership in Saturday’s Presidential and National Assembly elections will shut down Abuja as there would be heavy vehicular and human traffic.
Tension is also mounting for the possible clash of supporters of the APC and PDP as both events are holding in the Central Area of Abuja with likelihood of supporters of the two parties meeting as they move to the venues expressing their support.
Last Saturday, APC and PDP supporters violently clashed in Dei Dei market, burning 10 vehicles, damaging many vehicles and injuring several persons when they ran into each other during campaign events.
The tension and envisaged breakdown of law and order would have been averted only if PDP had held its campaign last Saturday as earlier scheduled.
PDP rescheduled its Wednesday presidential mega rally after it was denied approval to use the Old Parade Ground as the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) said APC had also booked the same day and venue for a campaign rally.
Kola Ologbondiyan, PDP national publicity secretary, had described the denial of access to the Old Parade Ground by the FCTA as a provocative action against the party after it had made payments to the authorities and obtained official approval.
“For us in the PDP Presidential Campaign Organisation, this is part of the last kicks of a dying horse, which the Buhari Presidency now represents,” Ologbondiyan said.
“We invite the world to note that this latest assault against the people’s candidate is also borne out of direct ill-will and hatred against him by President Muhammadu Buhari as well as his handlers, who have sought all ways to drag him down, since they realised that Nigerians have reached a consensus on Atiku Abubakar, as the next President of our country.
“In any case, let it be known to President Buhari and the APC that the PDP and the people’s candidate will definitely hold our Presidential mega rally in Abuja irrespective of any further encumbrance they may attempt to foist. Nigeria belongs to all of us and nobody can stop us from exercising our constitutionally guaranteed right of holding our rally in the FCT or any other part of our country for that matter,” he said.
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