By Aliyu Dangida
Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Attahiru Mohammed Jega, reportedly escaped death, yesterday, when some youths attacked him at the palace of the Emir of Kazaure, Alhaji Najib Hussaini Adamu, in Jigawa State.
Jega was said to be in the town to attend the wedding of the daughter of emir. It was gathered that trouble started around 12:30 pm when the INEC boss was coming out of the palace and the youths identified him.
A young girl allegedly led the attack when she collected sand and threw it at the vehicle in which the INEC chairman was riding. Then the youths, Sunday Vanguard learnt, in hundreds, began to hurl stones at Jega’s convoy. Several cars in the convoy were said to have been damaged and their glasses smashed. Sources said the situation would have been worse but for the intervention of security forces. The youths sang war songs alleging betrayal on Jega’s path.
“You cheated us, you cheated the North, you declared falsed result, you denied General Buhari the chance to be the president of Nigeria, it was injustice, we will not forgive you”, some of them said..
Another drama played out immediately thereafter when retired Major General Muhammadu Buhari, the presidential candidate of the Congress of Progressive Change (CPC), arrived the scene. The youths hailed him, saying he was the answer to Nigerians socio-economic, political, religious and ethnic problems. Contacted, however, the Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Abdul, Jinjiri denied the attack on Jega.
