Election Postponement: Jonathan’s large campaign billboard burnt in Abuja

A campaign billboard of the Peoples Democratic Party bearing the
photograph of President Goodluck Jonathan was set ablaze in the early
hours of Saturday by an unidentified man.
The incident was said to have taken place following earlier rumours
that the Independent National Electoral Commission had postponed the
February 14, 2015 Presidential election.
The billboard is located on the ever-busy Suleija-Kaduna Expressway at
the Federal Housing junction, beside the office of the National
Emergency Management Agency in Kubwa.
On it was boldly written, "On February 14, vote Goodluck, vote PDP…The
Goodluck Thumb."
THE PUNCH learnt that the arsonist drove to the billboard, parked his
car, brought out a tyre and set it on fire.
But the arsonist, according to officials of NEMA, who pleaded
anonymity, came back in the night and on seeing that the fire didn't
do much damage poured petrol on another tyre and set it ablaze.
It was not however clear who was responsible and what prompted it.
But a taxi driver within the vicinity, who simply identified himself
as Yahaya, said, "The incident happened following earlier rumours that
the February 14 presidential election has been postponed."
Some youths had recently pelted the convoy of President Goodluck
Jonathan in Katsina and Bauchi states and burnt his campaign vehicles
in Jos.
The Nigeria Posterity Project had expressed concern over the use of
stones and destruction of campaign posters belonging to Jonathan by
some northern youths.
According to the organisation, northern leaders should tone down their
utterances and allow free campaigns by all candidates in all parts of
the country.
The National Coordinator of the NPP, Mr. Louis Ebodaghe, had said,
"The burning of President Jonathan's campaign vehicles in parts of the
North and the pulling down of his posters in parts of the North can
only be likened to Nazi Germany where, for the fear of Hitler,
everybody must fly the Nazi flag even against their conscience. This
cannot be tolerated in modern day Nigeria and should not be
encouraged."
Meanwhile, the All Progressives Congress in Cross River has disclosed
plans to embark on a One- Million Youth March in the state to
reiterate support for the party's presidential candidate, Maj.Gen.
Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), despite the poll shift.
Firstclassnewsline.net
The party condemned the postponement of the general elections earlier
scheduled for February 14 and 28, saying it was obvious that the
leadership of the PDP was afraid of impending defeat at the polls.
Speaking on behalf of the party after a crucial meeting on Sunday, the
state APC Youth Leader, Mr. Effiom Otu, said the youth wing of the
party would organise a one-million youth march in solidarity with the
APC presidential candidate and other APC candidates to garner support
for the party ahead of the elections.
Otu also said the youths had endorsed a door-to-door campaign for the
party, adding that the objective was to educate and sensitise the
electorate in order for them to be convinced.
He said the campaign would ensure that all the 2,283 polling units in
the state were aggressively covered in the exercise.
Otu said, "We will organise a one-million youth march in the state
capital soon in solidarity with our presidential candidate, Maj. Gen.
Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) and other candidates to garner more support
for the party ahead of the elections.
"We (the youths) have endorsed a door-to-door campaign for the party
in the state. The objective is to ensure that those who hold
suspicious view about the person and capacity of the party candidates
for the election are educated and sensitised to jettison their held
conviction."
He castigated the Presidency for using insecurity as a reason for the
polls shift, explaining that there was no strength in the argument
advanced for the postponement.
Otu said, "The Presidency was caught in another web of cajoling by
feigning insecurity as the reason for the postponement because it
could not convincingly pull through the issue of PVCs collection as
initial reason for the shift.
Firstclassnewsline.net