Planned Abuja pro-Jonathan rally insensitive, ill-timed -ACF

The Arewa Consultative Forum on Wednesday  warned the Niger Delta Youth  and other supporters of President Goodluck Jonathan against holding any rally for the President in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory on Thursday.

A planned, Niger Delta Youth solidarity rally is scheduled for Thursday, aimed at drumming support for Jonathan’s bid to contest the 2015 presidential election.

But the ACF noted that rather than holding  the rally in Abuja, the Niger Delta youths should hold such mass rally in their domains(South-South) for security reasons.

This, according to the Forum, is because “the mass movement of Nigerians from other parts of the country into Abuja at this time might cause security breaches and possibly be hijacked by hoodlums to cause havoc including likely destruction of lives and property.”

 “ACF calls upon supporters of Mr. President wherever they are to express such love and solidarity for Mr. President in their various domains rather than mass movement to Abuja, the Federal Capital,” the ACF added.

The northern body  noted that it was not against the youth organising the rally for the President, but considered the entire exercise as ill-timed, ill-advised and flagrant disregard for the feelings of other Nigerians affected by the insecurity in the land.

The ACF, through its National Publicity Secretary, Muhammad  Ibrahim, in a  statement in Kaduna on Wednesday,  also accused  the Niger Delta Youths of being insensitive to the plight of the North for planning a mass rally in support  of President Goodluck Jonathan’s 2015 presidential bid.

The ACF noted that following the spate of bombing and other terrorism activities in the region, holding  a mass rally in support of the President for the 2015 Presidency was an indications that the Niger Delta people were insensitive to the insecurity in the region.

ACF said, “Furthermore, such mass demonstration by some youths from certain sections of the country may portray them as insensitive to the plight of Nigerians that have been under siege by the various insurgency attacks and bomb blasts.

“In as much as ACF is not against any peaceful rally or solidarity march by any group of persons in support of Mr. President or any cause, however, considering the insecurity in the country and in particular the northern region, where there have been spate of bomb blasts and attacks on innocent Nigerians, the Forum considers it as ill timed, ill-advised and a disregard to the feelings of other Nigerians affected by the insecurity challenges.”

PUNCH