2015 Elections: Youths Storm Abuja For President Jonathan's Rally
In a bid to show their support for President Goodluck
Jonathan’s re-election ambition, reports state that over 500 groups have
stormed the Federal Capital Territory, FCT.
According to a report published by Punch newspaper, the groups are
expected to participate in a solidarity rally scheduled to take place on
Thursday, July 31, 2014, in Abuja ahead of the 2015 general elections.
Though the incumbent president is yet to officially declare his
intention to contest in next year’s presidential elections, many
Nigerians believe Jonathan would announce his candidature later this
year.
* President Jonathan
Political analysts believe the 2015 polls would be keenly contested
between Jonathan’s ruling party, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and
the All Progressives Congress, APC.
However, the APC, led by former Lagos State governor, Senator Ahmed
Tinubu, is yet to declare who would represent the opposition party in
the general election.
Commenting on the planned rally, the Patron of Jonathan Youth
Vanguard, George Turnah, informed that each of the 500 groups had signed
to mobilise supporters for the 2015 project.
According to Turnah, the rally is being jointly organised by JYV and Niger-Delta Youth Leaders Council.
“All logistics for a successful outing have been put in place;
over one million people have since last night arrived in Abuja ahead of
Thursday’s rally. As we speak, over 500 pro-Jonathan support groups have
so far signed in to this project and have also endorsed the candidacy
of Dr. Goodluck Jonathan for the 2015 Presidential elections, as well as
his continuity beyond 2015,” Turnah said.
He also stated that the organisers of the rally had started decorating the city with posters, banners and bill-boards.
“Our mobilisation strategy for the rally remains as planned. Each
of the 500 groups that have signed up for the rally has a mandate to
mobilise 2,000 persons. From our records, all the groups have met their
various targets,” he said.
He denied that the group was being sponsored by the Presidency or any government agency.
Meanwhile, the Arewa Consultative Forum, ACF, has warned the Niger
Delta youth and other supporters of President Jonathan against holding
any form of rally for the President in Abuja.
However, the ACF noted that rather than holding the rally in Abuja,
the Niger Delta youths should hold such a mass rally in the South-South
for security reasons.
According to a statement released to by the body in Kaduna on Wednesday, “the
mass movement of Nigerians from other parts of the country into Abuja
at the time of the rally might likely cause security breaches and
possibly be hijacked by hoodlums to cause havoc, including the likely
destruction of lives and property.
“ACF calls upon supporters of Mr. President, wherever they are,
to express such love and solidarity to Mr. President in their various
domains, rather than mass movement to Abuja, the Federal Capital.”
The northern body noted that the entire exercise was ill-timed,
ill-advised and flagrant disregard to the feelings of other Nigerians
affected by the insecurity challenges in the land.
According to the National Publicity Secretary of ACF, Muhammad
Ibrahim, the Niger-Delta youths are being insensitive to the plight of
the North following the spate of bombings and other terrorism activities
in the region.
As at the time of compiling this report, newsmen observed a heavy presence of security men in most locations within the FCT.
It would be recalled that the Islamists militants’ sect, Boko Haram, had bombed Kaduna, Kano and Yobe states in the last couple of weeks.
No fewer than 100 lives have been lost through the attacks, according to police reports.
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