|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
The ruling Peoples Democratic Party in Bauchi State has denied claims by the All Progressives Congress over the violence that greeted the 21st memorial anniversary of a late leader and crusader of the Sayawa people of Bogoro and Tafawa Balewa local government areas of the state, Peter Gonto.
The PUNCH reports that violence marred the memorial lecture and book launch held last Friday in memory of Gonto, the first Christian convert in Sayawa land who later became an evangelist and leader of his people. The event caused sharp division among the Sayawa people in the two LGAs.
Several groups came out to support the event while others, including a former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, kicked against the event, citing security concerns.
Dogara, who represents Dass/Tafawa Balewa/Bogoro Constituency in the House of Representatives, then wrote a letter to the Inspector General of Police, Usman Baba, informing him of security threats if the event is allowed to hold.
In a reaction to the APC’s allegations, the PDP in a statement signed by its legal adviser, Shipi Rabo, and made available to journalists, dismissed the claim describing it as false, biased and mischief.
It also dissociated itself and Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, from having a hand in the matter.
“The PDP as the governing party in the state hereby presents its position on the erroneous, warped, wholly false and biased stance of the defeated APC in the state. This is so that unsuspecting members of the public and discerning minds within and outside the state will be guided unto the path of the truth, verifiable and established facts that are common knowledge on the matter.
“For the sake of speaking its mind, it is the honest and considered belief of the PDP that knowing what the late Baba Peter Gonto represents, the catalogue of events put together in his honour by his people was simply what it was: a tribal and community affair put together by proud, responsible and concerned sons and daughters of the land.
“This, being the case, discerning observers can appreciate the point that it is sheer mischief for the wobbling APC to read politics especially one that pertains to political parties into the event. For this reason alone, security agencies will do well to task those behind the politicization theory of the proofs for their position as failing that will encourage people to always take pleasure in introducing politics into everything, thereby overheating the polity as well as threatening public peace and security in the state as it is presently the case because of this matter.
“Flowing from this and in very specific terms, we would like to dissociate in total and all material terms, His Excellency, Senator Bala Mohammed, our great party and of course all peace cum well-meaning citizens within and outside the state from anything untoward, provocative or inimical to the peace and development of the people either related to the late Baba Gonto memorial events or any other issue for that matter.
“We call on the APC in the state and others who may have been tricked into bring-Bala-and-government-down project, that they are on a failed mission and they shall never succeed,” it stated.
