Leadership Crisis Hit Buhari’s Campaign Organisation

By Abbas Jimoh & Saawua Terzungwe



Loyalists of President Muhammadu Buhari, yesterday, clashed over who takes charge as national coordinator of the Buhari Campaign Organisation (BCO).

Following the development, men of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), armed with rifles and ammunitions were seen at the campaign office located along Kubwa express way, talking with the two factional leaders for peace to reign.

Specifically, Alhaji Danladi Pasali and Alhaji Isa Bayero have been laying claim to the leadership of the organization for the past few months.

Trouble started when members loyal to Alhaji Pasali stormed the office and locked the gate in order to address a press conference on Buhari’s return from London.

When the Alhaji Bayero group arrived in order to have another press conference, there was no way for them to gain entry, as members of the other faction had already occupied and locked up the gate.

Briefing newsmen on the development outside the gate, Bayero claimed that the other faction broke into his office and carted away official documents and other valuables.

“They had already changed the padlocks and keys to the office; they even have that case at the FCT Police Command for breaking into my office. They have the case file there; the case is on-going.

“In fact, impersonation is part of corruption in this country. I don’t want any fight; we need peace because of General Muhammadu Buhari. We wrote a letter to the Commissioner of Police; we also sent it to the State Security Service (SSS) to give us official approval to be attached with security agents but when we arrived here, they had already locked up this place and were inside,” he said.

However, while the North Central Zonal Coordinator of the organization, Ubale Marafa was addressing newsmen inside the office, three policemen entered the hall and stopped the briefing.

The Divisional Police Officer (DPO) from Katampe Division, Mr Tino Tangaza, who led the team of policemen to the venue, later invited five members from each of the two factions for a peace meeting in the office of the Deputy Commissioner of Police in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

Before the police stopped the briefing, Marafa said the divine healing of Buhari would go a long way in reducing the “needless conspiracy theories surrounding his health.”