Yobe reacts to claim of attack on Buni, says support groups only had ‘disagreement’

The Yobe government says there was no attack at the All Progressives Congress (APC) zonal rally held in Gashua, Bade LGA of the state over the weekend.

The rally had Senate President Ahmad Lawan and other members of the APC campaign council in attendance.

There were claims over the weekend that the Yobe governor was attackedduring the rally.

However, in a statement on Sunday, Mamman Mohammed, director of publicity, APC campaign council in Yobe, said the only incidents at the rally involved the safety of a podium and a “disagreement” between support groups.

“We read with dismay media reports making the rounds that some party stalwarts were stoned at a rally in Gashua, Yobe state,” the statement reads.

“We have found it necessary to respond to the false, alarming and precarious report to avoid misleading the general public.

“The rally witnessed a very large crowd ever seen in the political history of Gashua Town. The tumultuous crowd was out to welcome the senate president, Ahmad Lawan, Governor Buni, and members of the campaign council.

“Governor Buni walked freely through the crowd acknowledging cheers from the supporters as he walked to the podium.

“When it became obvious the the podium was threatening to collapse with an overwhelming crowd, the director general of the APC campaign council, Sen. Muhammad Hassan, stopped all speeches after the senate president.

“He therefore ordered everyone to get down from the podium for safety before it collapses.

“The rally continued with dances and until all the dignitaries left, there was no breach of security and no one was attacked.

“It was gathered that much later, when the Governor and members of the Campaign Council had departed Gashua, two supporting groups were engaged in disagreements with threats to each other but never degenerated to attack.

“The publishers of the fake news only engaged in a futile attempt to create an impression of a bad relationship between the people of Gashua and the APC government in Yobe state.”

Meanwhile, Hassan Gumsa, the Yobe governor’s special assistant on social media, said he was at the rally when the podium developed a problem.

“No one was attacked. I was there at the rally,” Gumsa added.