…orders Saraki, other protesters to report to headquarters Monday
Notable national leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) were, on Friday in Abuja, teargassed by the Police while protesting over what they called the crooked way the Independent National Electoral Commission and the Police had been rigging elections in favour of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Those who were teargassed were the National Chairman of the PDP, Prince Uche Secondus; President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki; Governor of Sokoto State, Aminu Tambuwal; and the Governor of Gombe State, Ibrahim Dankwambo.
Others who also had raw deal in the hands of the Police were the Governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose; his Taraba State counterpart, Darius Ishaku; a former Governor of Jigawa State, Sule Lamido, Senator Dino Melaye, Senator Ben Murray-Bruce, presidential aspirants, Danti Baba Ahmed and Tanimu Turaki.
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. Yakubu Dogara, however, escaped the incident because he didn’t follow the protesters to the Police Force Headquarters where the men were teargassed.
Dogara left shortly after the team visited the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) headquarters, Maitama, Abuja.
Secondus and his team complained about the outcome of the Osun State governorship election, which they believed was won by the PDP candidate, Senator Ademola Adeleke, but was rigged in favour of the APC candidate, Gboyega Oyetola.
The Secondus team had stormed the Police headquarters, Louis Edet House, for the protest, but the protesters were prevented by the Police from entering their premises.
The Police also fired gun shots into the air to disperse the protesters who scampered for safety in different directions, with some people sustaining injuries.
Some of the protesters and journalists who were affected by the teargas were revived with water.
Meanwhile, the Nigeria Police has invited Senate President Bukola Saraki, Senators Dino Melaye and Ben Bruce who participated in Friday’s protest march at its headquarters in Abuja to appear before it on Monday for attacking policemen there.
Police spokesman Jimoh Moshood disclosed this in a statement released in Abuja after the protest by PDP chieftains.
Moshood said the authorities have film footage of Saraki, Melaye and Bruce attacking policemen stationed at the headquarters to prevent the politicians from committing breach of the peace.
Saraki, Speaker House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, the National Chairman of PDP, Uche Secondus, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, Governor Ayodele Fayose, Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Tambuwal, Senator Ben Murray-Bruce, Senator Dino Melaye, Sule Lamido, Kabiru Tanimu Turaki and Datti Baba-Ahmed, joined in the protest march by PDP leaders to the Headquarters of INEC Office in Abuja to protest the just concluded Osun State Governorship Election which they claimed was rigged in favour of the ruling party.
