OLD 'PDP' AND NEW 'PDP' IN POWER TUSSLE: BABAJE LED NEW 'PDP' WAS NOT ALLOW TO HOLD MEETING

 Kawu-Baraje-led factions of the new Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Bauchi State were at the weekend prevented from holding their meeting in Bauchi. The state police command said it was as result of an ‘order from the above.’

  Alhaji Mohammed Isa, the state protem Chairman of the New PDP, stated that the faction had written a letter to the police and other security outfits in the state, intimating them of the planned meeting, adding that they even held a meeting with the state Commissioner of Police, Mallam Mohammed Ladan, who had permitted them to hold a consultative meeting and even promised to deploy policemen for their Saturday meeting.

“On Friday, our executives were invited by the state police commissioner. After our discussions with him, he allowed us to hold our consultative meeting and pledged to deploy policemen to protect us and warned us not to do anything that will lead to the breach of peace.”

“When we arrived at the venue with the effort of meeting various stakeholders and elders of the party, a team of armed mobile policemen led by the commissioner of police himself came and cordoned the Awalah Hotel venue of our meeting. When the police commissioner saw me, he called me and said, ‘Chairman we have order from above, the meeting will not hold’.”

The protem chairman stated further that the police could not give them any satisfactory reason why the meeting could not be held in Bauchi.

Isa added , “we were disappointed because we had followed all rules and regulations to hold this meeting. We are Nigerians; we have right under democratic dispensation to meet with our supporters to discuss the matter that affect us but to our dismay they had now violated our fundamental rights to meet and to discuss.”

However, the state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Haruna Mohammed, said,“ I am not aware that the New PDP had applied to hold a meeting in Bauchi and I am equally not aware that the police stopped them, but I will enquirer about it and get back to you with the necessary information,”