WHAT could have resulted in bloodshed and casualties was averted in a part of Auchi when an earlier sheduled All Progressives Congress rally was shifted to another venue, owing to the refusal of Muhammed Hassan Kadirison, son of former Chairman of Etsako West Local Government, late Hassan Kadiri, to allow the party use his family’s premises for the event.
The members of APC from Unit 6 in Ward 1 of Auchi, led by Saliu Ahmed, had sheduled to hold a rally at a place known as Kadiri’s family compound, which had, for time immemorial, served as a venue for both political and social activities in that vicinity.
The late council chairman’s son, who is a serving councilor in the Local Government, won the election on the APC platform but defected to PDP.
His objection to the use of the said facility was said to have caused a major division among the Kadiri kindred, especially as many of them were still members of the APC.
On the eve of the rally, there were reports of sporadic gunshots in the area, which sparked fear among inhabitants, who also saw the development as a signal of what might happen if the rally was to go ahead at the disputed venue.
On the day of the event, the PDP members loyal to the late chairman’s son were said to have brought canopies, chairs and sound system to the venue, claiming to have also sheduled a rally at the same venue and time.
The intervention of elders, family members and the police led to peaceful arrangements, whereby the APC relocated to another venue.
Some people, who spoke under the condition of annonymity, said the action of the late chairman’s son was uncalled for, rude and ill-advised.
According to them, the said venue is not the personal property of his father but rather belongs to a kindred, which Kadiri’s family is also a part of.
