Former Vice-President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, on Monday, walked journalists out from covering his meeting with delegates at the Plateau State secretariat of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Jos.
Atiku, who arrived the secretariat at about 2.19pm, was visibly angry and ordered the reporters out of the hall, saying: “I have nothing to do with journalists. I’m here to see delegates.”
His aides and security details immediately pounced on the journalists, causing a stampede and damaging the tripod and camera of the Channels Television crew in the process.
Those who should know said, perhaps the former vice president was angry with journalists for the wide coverage of his reaction to the cold-blood murder of Deborah Samuel, a Christian female student of the Shehu Shagari College of Education, Sokoto, by fellow Muslim students, which earned him unfavourable national outburst and seems to be doing heavy damages on his 2023 political ambition.
Not even the host, PDP officials and delegates, could calm the fury of their visitor and his entourage, and make a case for the journalists, who had covered such visits in the same secretariat by other presidential contenders in the past three weeks.
Bewildered party supporters at the scene could not help but wonder aloud why the former vice-president put up such a disappointing attitude at such a critical time in the party’s preparation for the 2023 general election.
No one was sure of what really angered the presidential aspirant.
-thisday