March 13, 2011
News
* Bakare flays action
By OLA AJAYI & DAPO AKINREFON
Governor Adebayo Alao-Akala of Oyo
State has ordered the stoppage of the
rally by the presidential candidate of the
Congress for Progressive Change (CPC),
Major-General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd),
scheduled for tomorrow at the ancient
Mapo Hall, Ibadan.
The order was informed by the
proposed visit of the first lady, Dame
Patience Goodluck Jonathan on Tuesday.
The action drew instant condemnation
from the CPC vice presidential candidate,
Pastor Tunde Bakare, who claimed it
amounted to stiffling of the opposition
by
the ruling Peoples Democratic Party
(PDP).
Alao-Akala was said to have given
security reasons for his action, alleging
that the CPC changed its plan without
carrying him along and that the inability
of the party to use Mapo Hall should not
be blamed on him but the party.
Mr. Adebayo Shittu, governorship
candidate of the CPC in Oyo State, said
his party had paid for the venue more
than two weeks ago, but the state
government
had allegedly given an instruction to the
management of Mapo Hall that the party
should not be allowed to use the venue.
He said, “It is quite unfortunate what is
happening in this country that the
opposition is being muzzled by the
government in power. We all know that
nobody
was elected into the position of the first
lady, yet the instrument of the state is
being used to deny somebody of the
calibre of Gen. Buhari the opportunity to
tell the people of the South-West what he
has in stock for them ”.
He added that like a drowning person,
the PDP was doing that because it knew
it had already failed in Oyo State.
Alao-Akala, however, cleared the air on
his action through Prince Dotun Oyelade,
his Special Adviser on Public
Communication, saying, “It is also untrue
that Oyo
government has denied the Congress for
Progressive Change presidential
candidate the use of Mapo Hall ”.
He explained that CPC wrote that it would
pay a courtesy call on the governor, on
Monday, March 7 and he replied that he
was in the thick of his electioneering
campaign; so he couldn ’t receive him.
“When CPC suddenly changed its
campaign to next Monday (tomorrow), it
should have the courtesy of notifying
appropriate authority which, in any case,
had
allocated Mapo to the First Lady, Mrs.
Jonathan, who is on state visit Tuesday.
CPC should blame itself for the
embarrassing lapse, ” Alao-Akala stated.
Fielding questions from journalists in
Lagos, yesterday, Bakare berated Oyo
State government for frustrating the
efforts of the CPC south west campaign
because of the wife of the president, by
taking possession of Mapo Hall, Ibadan.
He explained that the CPC was supposed
to make use of the hall on Tuesday for
its rally, having paid for the hall, while
the President ’s wife is billed to
host PDP women at the venue on
Wednesday.
The CPC vice presidential candidate said,
“ They cannot stop us from holding our
rally at Mapo. I’m marching there, not in
agbada, but in jeans to tell them that
they cannot prevent us from holding our
campaign in Mapo Hall. ”
While reacting to the allegation by the
PDP that his party instigated violence in
some states, he absolved his party of
being involved in any act of violence.
His words: “Is CPC responsible for the
violence in Bayelsa? Was CPC responsible
for the stampede in Port Harcourt where
a lot of people died as a result of the
overzealousness of security agents? God
helped them that they have not come
face to face with the revenge and revolt
of the poor. I am an eye witness to
history.
From Abuja to Maiduguri, it’s one hour
twenty minutes. The governor of Borno
State withdrew all the buses that were
meant to welcome us. The people
trekked,
they ran, they came on Okada. From the
airport, it took us four hours to get to
the palace of the Shehu of Borno, these
people you call violent did not cause
any disturbance at the palace, but they
cannot stop anything called PDP. As far
as we are concerned, we are preaching
peace, but the people are exhibiting
against PDP.”
On the perceived deadlock between ACN
and CPC on alliance talks ahead of the
April polls, he said the talks are on going.
Source: www.vanguardngr.com/2011/03/akala-stops-buhari’s-rally-for-jonathan’s-wife/