By Danlami Nmodu
People suspected to be Peoples Democratic Party , PDP thugs disrupted activities during Saturday’s ward Congress in Kabala Costain, Kaduna .The thugs ,according to eye witnesses, beat people up amidst skirmishes resulting from a N2.5 million largesse said to have been handed out to loyalists .
Some politicians told Newsdiaryonline that it was the Vice President,VP Namadi Sambo who gave the money to be shared By loyalists. When Newsdiaryonline contacted the VP’s Spokesman, Umar Sani ,he dismissed the claim as untrue.Sani said the VP did not give money to anybody.
A source privy to the sharing of money said N2million was actually doled out Friday night .”That amount was shared out in the night and most people got theirs last” the source said.
But trouble began after an additional N500,000 was said to have been given out Saturday.It was the struggle for “their share of money that led to fighting and skirmishes”.There were claims that the man who was to share the money made away with part of it and that angered thugs and party faithful who felt short changed .
Meanwhile, Sambo, has urged both politicians and the electorate for a peaceful conduct of the 2015 general elections.
A press release from the Vice President’s office Sambo he made this appeal on Saturday in Kaduna at his PDP Kabala Ward 05, Ward Congress, which held at Kabala Primary School in Kaduna North Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
Vice President Sambo, who commended stakeholders for the peaceful conduct of the congress, congratulated the three elected delegates from the Ward. Vice President Sambo based on the PDP Constitution is an automatic delegate. The Party is holding its ward congresses all over the country today.
Expressing optimism that the PDP would be victorious across the country, in the 2015 general elections, he said “this is the beginning of our journey to be able to select our candidates for the forthcoming 2015 general elections. I want to seize this opportunity to thank all members of the PDP in my Ward, and indeed Kaduna North Local Government and the State in general.
I will also seize the opportunity to again call on all of us both PDP and other parties to have a peaceful and successful elections and Insha Allah PDP will emerge victorious,” he added.
The Vice President reaffirmed his commitment to the development of the Ward, the Kaduna North LGA, Kaduna State and indeed the country in General.
Earlier the Vice President received an opposition stalwart and a renowned farmer in the Ward, Alhaji Amadi, who decamped to the PDP with over 500 members.
Speaking earlier a strong member of the party in the ward and also the Kaduna State Commissioner for Local Government, Alhaji Shehu Ahmed Giant, lauded the numerous empowerment and developmental programmes of the Vice President in the Ward, while also pledging the unalloyed support of the members of the party in the ward to the President and the Vice President.
He thanked the Vice President for appointing sons of the Kaduna North Local Government into top position in government, among whom are Mallam Umar Sani, his senior special assistant on media and publicity, Dr. Baba as his senior aide on information technology and also Alhaji Abdullahi Mukhtar, Director Operations at the National Hajj Commission, etc.
The PDP Kabala Ward 05 delegates, chosen based on the Party’s rules that one must be a female were Alhaji Husaini Baba, Ahmad Umar Jigo as well as Hajiya Karimatu Isang. The event was witnessed by observers from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Vice President Sambo, was accompanied to the event by the Deputy Governor of Kaduna State, Ambassador Nuhu Audu Bajoja. Also at the event were Alhaji Husaini Jalo and Senator Musa Bello among other party stalwarts including the ward party chairman Alhaji Samaila Mai Raleigh.
