President Goodluck Jonathan’s campaign team yesterday asked the Independent National Electoral Commission to disqualify his main rival Muhammadu Buhari from participating in the April 9 presidential election over alleged violence by supporters of the Congress for Progressive Change.



Buhari’s supporters were reported to have ransacked a campaign office and pulled down billboards of the ruling People’s Democratic Party in Gombe last week. Earlier on, anti-Jonathan protests were also held in other places though it was not clear if the protesters were Buhari’s supporters or CPC members.



The Goodluck/Sambo Presidential Campaign Council in a statement yesterday in Abuja called on INEC and the security agencies “to invoke the relevant sections of the law and disqualify Buhari and his violent supporters from the 2011 elections.”


Director of research and strategy of the campaign council Mike Omeri said in the statement: “The violence unleashed on People’s Democratic Party (PDP) supporters in Sokoto, Kaduna, Kano, Nasarawa, Port Harcourt and Gombe by the CPC are ploys capable of truncating the democratic project Nigerians have laboured for over the years.”


He said the way the CPC supporters have been behaving during the campaign “is not how democracy should be practiced, violence or threat is not part of democracy. I think those who have no democratic credentials should have no business in this game.


“By now, Nigerians should know those who are the real enemies of democracy and the people. This is not the era of brute force. Nigerians must have a choice and a right to decide. This resort to violence and intimidation cannot win votes for them.”


Omeri alleged that some CPC supporters have threatened to kill him. “In the last five days, I have been inundated with strange phone calls and text messages threatening me not to speak or comment on anything involving General Buhari. One of the text messages came from phone number +2348035074163 warning ‘Mike you should think twice before you either write or say something on Buhari.’”


Two weeks ago, Omeri had accused General Buhari of involvement in the blast at a PDP rally in Suleja, Niger State, but he later retracted the accusations.


But Buhari’s campaign group yesterday denied inciting anyone to violence and dismissed the calls for his disqualification.


Spokesman for the CPC presidential candidate, Mr. Yinka Odumakin, said Buhari has only been asking Nigerians to vote and ensure that their votes were counted.


“All Buhari has been harping on is for the people to guard their votes and make sure that they are not tampered with. He is also calling on the security agencies to be fair and impartial in their jobs,” Odumakin said.


Also yesterday, another group affiliated to the Goodluck-Sambo campaign team, True Democracy Advocacy Network, called for the disqualification of the CPC and Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) presidential candidate Nuhu Ribadu.


In a statement by its executive secretary David Onilede, the group said, “The same violent tone has been adopted by the ACN team of NuhuRibadu and Fola Adeola ably complimented by the rampaging rhetorics of Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu. All have been unrepentantly preaching violence against the PDP apparatus and people.


“We hereby call on the INEC to disqualify Buhari and every other candidate guilty of inciting people to violence immediately. The provision of the recently signed Code of Conduct for Political Parties and their candidates is in full support of such a sanction. There should be no room for enemies of democracy.”

http://dailytrust.dailytrust.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=13950:jonathans-team-wants-buhari-disqualified&catid=2:lead-stories&Itemid=8

Jokers,

they should have started by disqualifying Uduaghan who dishonestly occupied government house with access to Delta state money for over 3yrs.

Stupid lot

eku_bear:

President Goodluck Jonathan’s campaign team yesterday asked the Independent National Electoral Commission to disqualify his main rival Muhammadu Buhari from participating in the April 9 presidential election over alleged violence by supporters of the Congress for Progressive Change.

Buhari’s supporters were reported to have ransacked a campaign office and pulled down billboards of the ruling People’s Democratic Party in Gombe last week. Earlier on, anti-Jonathan protests were also held in other places though it was not clear if the protesters were Buhari’s supporters or CPC members.

The rowdy supporters, assuming that is what they are, need to be called to order by Buhari and his team.

Kobojunkie:

The rowdy supporters, assuming that is what they are, need to be called to order by Buhari and his team.

i can tell you from a very reliable source that it was the gov dat sent his thugs to go and do the job then blame it on CPC.
Its no secret that Danjuma Goje is a thug and he has well armed and paid thugs

Kobojunkie:

The rowdy supporters, assuming that is what they are, need to be called to order by Buhari and his team.

Err, what? So if some Nigerian in Malaysia is locked up for cocaine, I need to call him to order?

What sense does that make?

People are only responsible for their own actions, not that of others. Not even that of their supporters. If some Republican blows up a building, I should point a finger at the GOP party leader

Very odd reasoning.

It would be an entirely different matter if one proved that Buhari hired/otherwise encouraged his supporters to commit crimes.

Buhari should be disqualified as his supporters have shown that they are little better than animals. Anyway if you support CPC are you not an animal?

Imagine killing 5 people in Kaduna, because they wouldn't say, "sai Buhari!" There is also the CPC man in court for bombing the Suleja rally, as well as numerous other instances of incredible thuggery; all that is aside Buhari's violent language. CPC has also physically attacked the Presidents convoy on several occassions in ways that could have endangered his life and wellbeing.

There is a limit to what can be tolerated.

^^^^ Do you really need to post the same view with different IDs?

U de vex?:

I[b]magine killing 5 people in Kaduna, because they wouldn't say, "sai Buhari!" [/b]There is also the CPC man in court for bombing the Suleja rally, as well as numerous other instances of incredible thuggery; all that is aside Buhari's violent language. CPC has also physically attacked the Presidents convoy on several occassions in ways that could have endangered his life and wellbeing.

There is a limit to what can be tolerated.

where did you get that from

please show me an article you got that from

why do you make northeners look bad in the eyes of the world every time. it is becoming annoying

Alj Uche:

where did you get that from

please show me an article you got that from

why do you make northeners look bad in the eyes of the world every time. it is becoming annoying

I think you should start learning to read, instead of spouting from positions of ethnic bigotry:

Hundreds of thousands of supporters of the CPC from the North West Zone had stormed the Murtala Square, venue of the event. However, some of the party supporters mounted road blocks along the Angwan Sarki and the Kawo bridge, forcing people to say “ Sai Buhari “ before they were allowed to pass.

This resulted in serious traffic hold up along the Zaria road leading to the town. Buhari’s posters were also forcefully pasted on private and commercial vehicles. Those who resisted this were either beaten or had their vehicles smashed.

http://allafrica.com/stories/201103030170.html

[size=14pt]5 die as Buhari flags off North-West campaign[/size]
NewsMar 3, 2011
By LUKA BINNIYAT

KADUNA-Supporters of the presidential candidate of Congress for Progressive Change, CPC, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari(rtd), yesterday, beat up people and vandalised cars as they recklessly drove on motor bikes and commuters buses, which led to the death of five persons in northern Kaduna metropolis.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2011/03/5-die-as-buhari-flags-off-north-west-campaign/

You might not understand why most people find this behaviour to be quite primitive and not to be encouraged.

Most likely PDP agents, like the other ones arrested.

Such a confusing mess when a party is divided against itself. . . or even worse, engaging in silly plots to gather sympathy.