The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has accused the main opposition party, the
All Progressives Congress (APC) of raiding a false alarm as well as instigating violence against the PDP state government in Gombe led by Dr. Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo.
In a press statement signed by Alh. Ahmed Yayari Mohammed Chief Of Staff, Government House, Gombe, the party said:
“The APC National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed in a statement
on Saturday, December 20, 2014 accused Governor Dankwambo of working
hard to obliterate the APC presence and also victimize the party’s
members in the state.
“This allegation is completely baseless and clear fabrication by the APC
in an attempt to discredit and distract the hard working and humble
Governor Dankwambo, overheat the polity and stall the wheel of progress
in the state.
“We have therefore called you to this press conference to put the record
straight away from the APC’s well-known penchant for standing the truth
on its head.
“Since he left the PDP, the APC leader in the state and former Gombe
state governor, Senator Danjuma Goje has been orchestrating violence and
causing confusion, all in an attempt to undermine and dislodge the
PDP-led administration in the state.
“On Thursday, December 18th 2014, Senator Goje mobilized a team of
political thugs who ambushed and attacked the convoy of Governor
Dankwambo with dangerous weapons while the governor was on his way from
a federal university located at Kashere where he had gone for a visit on
the invitation of the Vice Chancellor.
The thugs under the directives of Senator Goje unleashed terror on the
governor’s entourage, injuring some persons and destroying some vehicles
in the convoy.
“Earlier, at the Kashere University, Senator Goje had also instigated
some hoodlums under his payroll to protest against the governor and
disrupt the visit.
“Senator Goje had in politicizing the visit, mischievously told the
youths mostly from Kashere town that the Governor was planning to
relocate the university to Gombe town, knowing full well, as a former
governor and former federal minister, that a state governor has no power
or control over the location or otherwise of a federal university.
“This mischievous fabrication by Goje created tension in the town before
the arrival of the governor, hence the violence.
“Following the attack on the governor, the police and other security
agencies swung into action and arrested 18 persons, 12 of whom were
released after interrogation. Six have been taken to court while many
other wanted persons are on the run.
“It is interesting that three of the arrested persons are relations of
the wife of Senator Goje.
“Gentlemen of the Press, you can now see the height of hypocrisy by the
APC which has been trying to deceive Nigerians by playing the victim
when they are the real aggressors.
“To avoid a continuation of the this evil machination of the APC, we
hereby call on the Inspector General of Police and other relevant
security agencies to carry out a thorough investigation on the attack
with a view to exposing the sponsors and bringing them to book.
“We also want to draw the attention of the police and the leadership of
the APC to a compilation by a non–governmental organization called
Movement for The Restoration of Political Sanity in Gombe State,
articulating the antecedents of Senator Goje on violence as well as a
dossier of the victims.
“We wish to state that all efforts by the APC in their heinous plan to
turn Gombe into a theater of violence in frustration, arising from their
dwindling popularity will be resisted by the people.
“It is gratifying however, to note that despite the evil agenda of
Senator Goje and his APC cohorts, majority of well-meaning people of
Gombe state remain solidly behind the PDP and Governor Ibrahim Dankwambo
and are assiduously working to demonstrate this at the 2015 general
elections.