Elections: PDP holds rally in Abuja. APC  one million march in Lagos

All Progressives Congress presidential candidate, Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) (left); and Borno State Governor, Kashim Shettima, during the APC presidential rally in Borno State.
| credits: Borno State Government House

The All Progressives Congress is today holding a one-million-man march.

The march, which kicks off from the Maryland area of Lagos at 8am to Teslim Balogun Stadium, Surulere in the city.

The march is expected to be led by stalwarts of the APC like the national leader, Bola Tinubu and the Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola, in an attempt to psyche supporters ahead of the March 28 and April 11 presidential and governorship elections respectively.

The Coordinator of the APC Campaign Organisation in Lagos, Mr. James Faleke, had told journalists that the one-million-man march was to prepare the minds of supporters of the party for victory ahead of the polls.

He said, “In order to psychologically prepare the minds of our voters and give a psychological defeat to the opposition, we are planning a one-million-man march for Saturday (today) by 8a.m. It will commence at Maryland through Allen Avenue and will end behind Shoprite, Alausa.

“The walk will be inaugurated by Asiwaju Bola Tinubu. It will be led by Governor Fashola, Osun State Governor, Mr. Rauf Aregbesola, the Lagos State APC governorship candidate, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, and our vice-presidential candidate, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo (SAN),” he said.

In the same vein, President Goodluck Jonathan will today lead government officials as well as sportsmen and women on an out-door physical training exercise in Abuja, the nation’s capital and seat of power.

The exercise, aimed at promoting sports and fitness in Nigeria, according to the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, will also see Jonathan leading others to jog from the Presidential Villa in Aso Rock to the Eagle Square in the heart of the Federal Capital Territory where a rally for the Peoples Democratic Party will hold.

Abati, in a statement on Friday said the training exercise, which would commence at 7:00am, would see top government officials including presidential aides, political associates, leading sports personalities and enthusiasts partake in the exercise.

“The programme, which will also include jogging, physical stretches and light aerobics, will culminate in a solidarity rally for President Jonathan at the Eagle Square organised by the Nigerian sports community.

“Sports personalities expected to participate in the physical training exercise and solidarity rally include Mary Onyali, Austin Eguavoen,

“Kanu Nwankwo, Joseph Yobo and Chika Chukwumerije, amongst others. The event will be broadcast live on the Network Service of the Nigerian Television Authority,” Abati said in the statement.

Both the Presidential Villa, Abuja, the take-off point of the exercise and the Eagle Square where it will end are located in the Three Arms Zone of the Federal Capital Territory.

The square is flanked on both sides by the Federal Secretariat, while it faces the national Cenotaph, the National Assembly, and the Supreme Court.

The Supreme Court itself is within the Presidential Villa.

As of the time of filing this report on Friday evening, our correspondent learnt that the President’s security team and top officials of the Federal Road Safety Commission were still busy mapping the route for the exercise.

It was, however, learnt that the President and the team may leave the Presidential Villa through Gate 1 and jog through the Supreme Court to the Federal Secretariat and then to the Eagle Square.

The Supreme Court is about 400 metres from Gate 1 while the distance between Eagle Square and the apex court will be about 300 metres.

Condemning the APC mega rally on Friday, Governor of Ekiti State, Mr. Ayo Fayose, said in a statement released by his Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, that the planned march was a plot by the APC to cause chaos in Lagos and also a deliberate attempt to cover the lies they had told about the health status of Mohammadu Buhari, the party’s presidential candidate in this month’s election.