Tuesday's campaign has also been put off because the day will be observed as a public holiday for the Eid-El-Malud (birthday of Prophet Mohammed) celebration.
Over 16 members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) gave up the ghost on Saturday as a result of stampede at the Liberation Stadium, Elekahia, in Port Harcourt, Rivers State capital, venue of the PDP presidential rally ahead of the April general election.
The deceased, said to be mostly supporters of the a variety of candidates of the PDP in the South-South zone were even as two persons also reportedly lost their lives in an auto-accident with the presidential fleet in a Prado Jeep with Bayelsa registration number AX 176 KMK along the Port Harcourt-Aba road.
More than 35 party supporters, including women sustained various degrees of injuries following the unprecedented rush that greeted the presidential rally.
A PDP chieftain, who spoke on grounds of anonymity pointed out that the rush was due to the fact that the South South geo political zone is home of the PDP presidential candidate, President Goodluck Jonathan.
An eye witness account says, “The stampede was caused by the horde of people who thronged the Liberation Stadium and trying with great effort to leave after flags were handed to individual governors from the various states.
“The sight was terrible as you could see people trampling on one another and subsequent suffocation of many elderly men and women who had come to show support to the President Goodluck Jonathan/ Sambo Campaign Organisation.
Although, the Rivers State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Superintendent Rita Inoma-Abbey confirmed the incident, she could not state the casualty figure.
“At about 14:50 hours at the liberation stadium, Elekahia during the presidential campaign flag off for the South-South zone, lots of jubilant supporters were exiting the main gate that their governors had been given the PDP flag. Those coming in were pushing their way out. In the ensuing stampede, so many people fell down.
“The police mounted troops, Police Mobile Force (PMF) and other security agents contained the push by closing the main gate to rescue the victims. Some were taken to Teme Clinic and Braithwaite Memorial Hospital (BMH) with police ambulance. Identities of casualties and number of death are still unknown.”
Just as Presidency investigates the cause of the stampede, President Jonathan, in a statement signed by Ima Niboro, said, “The President received the news with shock and sadness. He mourns with the families of the deceased, and prays the Almighty to grant repose to their souls.
The President however shelved the inauguration of the new Goodluck/Sambo Campaign Council billed for Saturday.
“President Jonathan notes with a heavy heart, that these are persons who came to celebrate his success at the primaries of the PDP, and wish him well in the coming elections.
“I am sad, and heavily weighed down by this incident. It is sad, unfortunate and regrettable. I mourn with those who mourn tonight. May God grant us all the fortitude to bear this irreparable loss”, the President is quoted to have grieved.
Also, the Rivers State government, through the Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr. Blessing Wikina, said the incident was regrettable, and adding that the stampede was due to poor crowd control measures.
“As soon as the incidents were reported, the governor immediately mobilised its medical services to take care of those injured.
Recall that Governors from the South South geo-political zones were handed party flags as governorship candidates in the April general elections. The governorship flag-bearers are Godswill Akpabio (Akwa Ibom), Timipre Sylva (Bayelsa), Liyel Imoke (Cross River), Emmanuel Uduaghan (Delta) and Rotimi Amaechi (Rivers).
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By chesa chesa, Rotimi Akinwunmi (Abuja) and Daniel Abia (P/Harcourt)
No fewer than 16 supporters of the various candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the South-South zone were reported dead on Saturday due to stampede at the Liberation Stadium, Elekahia, venue of the presidential rally for April election in Port Harcourt, Rivers State capital.
Two persons reportedly lost their lives in an accident involving the presidential convoy along the Port Harcourt-Aba road.
At least 25 persons, mostly women were also injured in the stampede.
As soon as the flags were given to the respective governors from the various states–Godswill Akpabio (Akwa Ibom), Timipre Sylva (Bayelsa), Liyel Imoke (Cross River), Emmanuel Uduaghan (Delta) and Rotimi Amaechi (Rivers)– security operatives could not contend with the mammoth crowd who struggled to leave the narrow Liberation station gates in ecstasy.
It was at that point that people trampled on one another, leading to the alleged suffocation of over 20 persons, mostly women who had come to show support to the President Goodluck Jonathan/ Sambo Campaign Organisation.
Meanwhile, a Prado Jeep in the convoy of the president with Bayelsa registration number AX 176 KMK heading for the stadium rammed into a stationary truck along Aba road, killing two of its occupants on the spot, while several others were injured.
An eye witness who did not want his name in print said the jeep had veered off the road and ran into the truck.
The Rivers State government has described the incident as unfortunate, saying it was due to a stampede and poor crowd control measures.
Mr. Blessing Wikina, Press Secretary to Governor Rotimi Amaechi said the governor immediately mobilised its medical services to take care of those injured.
Wikina said: “The incident is regrettable, including the accident that happened at Aba road. As I speak to you ambulances are still going there to take care of those who are injured.”
However, while confirming the incident, the Rivers State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Rita Inoma-Abbey could not say the exact casualty figure.
Inoma-Abbey, a Superintendent of Police (SP) said: “At about 14:50 hours at the liberation stadium, Elekahia during the presidential campaign flag off for the South-South zone, lots of jubilant supporters were exiting the main gate that their governors had been given the PDP flag. Those coming in were pushing their way out. In the ensuing stampede, so many people fell down.
“The police mounted troops, Police Mobile Force (PMF) and other security agents contained the push by closing the main gate to rescue the victims. Some were taken to clinic with police ambulance.
“Some to Teme Clinic and Braithwaite Memorial Hospital (BMH) for treatment. Identities of casualties and number of death are unknown.”
President Goodluck Jonathan has directed a full scale investigation into the cause of the stampede.
An Aso Rock statement signed by presidential spokesman, Ima Niboro, said Jonathan received the news with shock and sadness.
“The president mourns with the families of the deceased, and prays the Almighty to grant repose to their souls.
“President Jonathan notes with a heavy heart, that these are persons who came to celebrate his success at the primaries of the PDP, and wish him well in the coming elections,” said the statement.
It quoted the president as having said that: “I am sad, and heavily weighed down by this incident. It is sad, unfortunate and regrettable.
“I mourn with those who mourn tonight. May God grant us all the fortitude to bear this irreparable loss.”
The President has therefore put off the inauguration of the new Goodluck/Sambo Campaign Council biled for Saturday.
Regardless, the PDP has clarified the issue of flag presentation to party candidates at rallies, saying that receipt of the flag does not mean the receiver of the flag is the authentic candidate who will represent the party at the poll.
The party made the clarification in view of condemnation that greeted its presentation of party flag to candidates whose candidature are under suspension by court injunctions.
PDP National Legal Adviser, Olusola Oke who made the clarification on Saturday said that the party should not be condemned as a group of people who have no respect for the court, insisting that the presentation of flags to party members who have one case or the other hanging down their necks is mere political show-off.
Oke insisted that it is the nomination of the party candidate which it sent to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on January 31 that determines who is the party’s genuine candidate and not who carries the flag at campaign grounds.
The duo of Governor Sullivan Chime and Theodore Orji of Enugu and Abia States respectively, were presented with party flag on Friday at the South-East zone presidential rally held in Enugu against court pronouncement that the men should not yet be recognised as PDP candidate in the 2011 elections.
“Handing over the flag are ceremonial, they aren’t part of the orders of court, they are just internal affairs of the party. The flag of the party doesn’t make you a candidate; what makes you a candidate is the nomination which has been completed since the 31st January, 2011. So, we can decide to give you our flag, nobody can restrain us from giving our flag, it isn’t government property. There are one million flags there which anybody can take.”
Oke maintained that it is erroneous to accuse the party of breaching or ignoring court orders by doling out flags to some candidates who are already restrained from parading themselves as candidates of the party saying that the campaign train is not even aware of most of the court orders.
“Well, let me confess to you that I haven’t been part of these campaigns, since the South West one that I attended and I have lost touch completely with members of the PDP National Working Committee. If you go to our secretariat now you find out that it is desolate. So, I have not been privileged to actually brief them on the happenings on the various suits in court.
“For instance the one that was issued on Thursday even till now I haven’t received the enrolment of order from the court. Normally, but for these campaigns that our people are attending, at NWC meetings I brief members on developments in courts, but I haven’t been able to really make contacts. If anything has been done, which I am not personally aware, it must have been done out of the fact that they don’t have the correct facts of the developments in court. In other words, our party believes in the rule of law.”
He said the party had no reason to disobey court orders as issued by the court saying that the current orders are temporary orders and expressed confidence that most of the restraining orders will soon be lifted.
“We have no reason to disparage or be defiant to any court order, because we believe most of these orders that have been issued, they are temporary measures. On the ultimate, we are very strong on our position that the candidates we have nominated are all validly nominated. We believe that the courts would also see our points of view.
“So, ordinarily, if anything has been done in that regard it must be done out of the fact that they don’t have proper briefing. You know those who have been involved in the campaigns—you know they have been going on daily basis and they haven’t been reverting to bases. They haven’t been making contact and I haven’t been able to contact them; they have all been on the field for a week now.
“I am aware, I wouldn’t do that. But those that have been involved in the campaigns, I want to assume that they aren’t aware of the development in court.”
Asked why he didn’t reach them on phone, he responded in the affirmative that he can reach them on phone but the PDP has its ownmodus operandi in the running of affairs of the party.
