Presidential Rally: Youths Seal up Edo PDP Secretariat over Non Payment of Mobilization Fee

Youths numbering over 200 friday stormed the Peoples Democratic Party secretariat along Sapele Road in Benin City and sealed it up, protesting non-payment of mobilisation fee due to them for presence at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, venue of the presidential campaign rally on Wednesday.

"The youths under the auspices of Grassroots Youth Initiative (GYI) caused heavy traffic along the Benin-Sapele highway as they blocked the party gate demanding for their share of the alleged N1.2bn provided by the presidency for the rally in the state. It was learnt that the protesters took to the streets after they allegedly refused N20,000 offered to them Thursday.

The youths who carried placards bearing inscriptions such as "PDP Pay Us Our Money", "Our Youths Must Grow", specifically alleged Edo State Coordinator of President Goodluck Jonathan Campaign Organisation, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, as the one keeping the money meant for them.

Speaking with newsmen, National President of GYI, Osarobo Idahosa, said he was part of the campaign planning committee in the state but was surprised that only N20,000 was given to him to pay thousands of youths mobilised to the rally.

Idahosa said he personally mobilised youths to the stadium but was not paid a dime.

Another protester who gave his name as Cromwell Aigbona said, "It is a new time and a new dawn. It is time our leaders recognise that there are youths in the state. We will not be used and dumped. The time has come for the youth to say no to use and dump. We want transparency.

"Our money has not been given to us. That is why we are here. We want to tell the leaders of PDP that we want to move on"

A PDP leader who pleaded anonymity said the protest was sponsored by a former governorship candidate of the party and founder of Goodluck to Goodluck.

According to him, "The money was shared to all the leaders. Ize-Iyamu is not concerned about this money. This protest is because of one person within the party, Gen. Airhiavbere paid and sponsored this protest".

Reacting to the allegation, Airhiavbere said, "He must be out of his mind. They should address their problems".

But when contacted, Pastor Ize-Iyamu accused the All Progressive Congress for sponsoring the protest because of the overwhelming crowd that attended the presidential rally.

Ize-Iyamu who denied collecting N1.2bn for the campaign rally said what was spent on the rally was less than what the APC spent on its rally.

"We have never seen that kind of a crowd at a rally. We are optimistic that this will translate to votes for us on February 14.

"The APC was terrified about the rally attendance. The story of N1.2bn is another lie from the APC camp. The money that came for the rally was pittance. We want to assure the youths that the disinformation was to cause disarray in our ranks. The protest was inflamed by the disinformation from the APC", he said.

Also in his reaction, the PDP chairman in Edo State, Chief Dan Orbih, noted that the protest was one of the evil machination of the APC-led government in Edo State.

"They are afraid of the downfall awaiting them on February 14, and decided to cook up the story to distabilised us", he stressed. (Thisdaylive)