Barring last minute change, the chairman of the Labour Party Presidential Campaign Council, Mohammed Zarewa; the Kano governorship candidate of the party, Bashir Bashir; state coordinator of Peter Obi’s campaign, Balarabe Wakili and; a member of the presidential campaign council, Idris Dambazau will boycott the campaign rally of the presidential candidate, Peter Obi, in Kano.
DAILY NIGERIAN reports that Mr Obi will hold a campaign rally at Sabongari Stadium on Sunday as well as a 1-kilometer walk through the Sabongari streets – populated by non-indigenous residents – to canvass support.
Insiders told DAILY NIGERIAN that the top LP leaders in the state held a crucial meeting on Saturday where they reached a decision to boycott the rally as they are not being carried along in the campaign.
A source who preferred anonymity told this newspaper that the vice presidential candidate, Datti Baba-Ahmed had allegedly turned the campaign family affair.
“Datti has brought his brother-in-law Yusuf Bello-Maitama who lacks political exposure as DG North. He imposed his uncle Audi Mohammed as DG North West. He appointed the bursar of his university Dr Atiku as DG Finance. So you can clearly see the nepotism in this composition,” said the source who attended the Saturday meeting.
The source further said that the appointment of Anthony Okafor to head Mr Obi’s campaign rally and mobilise support for him in Kano was also a wrong decision.
“You can’t stage campaign rally in Kano and appoint Uche Okafor as the chief mobiliser. The best way to mobilise support in Kano is to appoint a Hausa man as mobiliser. This at least will symbolise inclusion and show Kano people that our party is not sectional,” said the source.
When contacted, the state chairman of the party, Mohammed Raji, also supported the party leaders’ decision to shun the rally, saying they made the decision in order to protect their dignity and image.
“Although I’m not boycotting the rally, but I’m seeing hell as the party chairman in Kano. I’m not carried along in all the affairs of the party in the state,” he added.
