APC, PDP Trade Blames Over Violence At Pantami’s Gombe Rally

The All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Gombe State have traded accusations following an assault on supporters and the convoy of the PDP governorship candidate, Professor Isa Ali Pantami, throughout his homecoming rally within the state capital.

The incident, which occurred on Wednesday, disrupted components of the procession as suspected political thugs mounted roadblocks, set tyres ablaze and smashed the windscreens of autos conveying Pantami’s supporters.

The violence has triggered accusations between the 2 main political events, with the PDP condemning what it described as an assault on its supporters, whereas the APC accused PDP supporters of destroying properties belonging to residents and its members.

Abdulkadir Ahmed Dukku, the PDP publicity secretary within the state, when talking LEADERSHIP, condemned the assaults, describing them as barbaric, undemocratic and unacceptable.

The occasion stated a few of its supporters have been assaulted through the reception organised to welcome Pantami.

It additionally alleged that a number of autos have been vandalised and a few supporters injured, calling on safety companies to analyze the incident and convey these accountable to justice.

However, in his response, his APC counterpart within the state, Usman Murtala, accused supporters of the PDP candidate of attacking residents and destroying properties, together with autos, retailers and marketing campaign billboards.

Murtala accused Pantami’s supporters of displaying intolerance in direction of political opponents, warning that such conduct threatened peaceable political competitors.

Meanwhile, the Gombe State Police Command has confirmed the assault on Pantami’s convoy, saying investigations have been ongoing to establish these accountable.

The Police Public Relations Officer, Buhari Abdullahi, instructed journalists that no arrests had been made as of Thursday, including that officers have been deployed to keep up order through the procession.

He defined that some hoodlums took benefit of the motion of the gang to barricade autos and assault them after the principle procession had handed by the world.

The police spokesman stated the command couldn’t set up the precise variety of autos affected as a result of no formal complaints had been lodged at any police station.

He added that the police have been additionally reviewing video footage circulating on social media however couldn’t depend on it alone to find out the complete extent of the harm.