Five persons reportedly died during a stampede at the presidential rally of the All Progressives Congress in Jalingo on Thursday. The incident occured at the the Jolly Nyame Stadium in the state capital Jalingo.
An eyewitness reported that the stampede occurred when the party’s supporters were trying to see the President as he was entering the stadium.
According to him, “I was standing at the popular stand of the stadium when suddenly I saw some people going down and being trampled upon by a mammoth crowd who forced their way into the stadium as the President’s convoy was making its way into the arena.
“I can’t confirm how many people were killed in the stampede, but many people were rushed into an ambulance and other security vehicles after the incident.”
The Public Relations Officer of the state Specialist Hospital, Mrs Dorcas Philemon, confirmed to journalists that five corpses were brought to the hospital.
“Five corpses believed to be supporters of the All Progressives Congress were brought to the hospital and deposited at the morgue,” she said.
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President Buhari had at the rally in Jalingo promised to complete the Mambilla hydropower project, if re-elected.
“The Mambilla Power Project will bring development to your state and the country as it will generate enough electricity for you to do businesses and improve your living standard. I will complete it if you re-elect me for another term,” he said.
He vowed to eradicate poverty, and subsidise agricultural input for the state famers.
Also speaking at the rally, the National Chairman of the APC, Mr Adams Oshiomhole, urged the voters to support Buhari, noting that he’s the honest one among all candidates.
The President expressed sadness over the death of the APC supporters.
Speaking through a statement by his media aide Garba Shehu, said, “I always feel very sad and distressed when ordinary Nigerians who love me and our party because of what we stand for and have done, make personal sacrifices by taking the pains to show their support, end their lives tragically.”
“I want them to stay alive and witness the dividends of purposeful governance that the APC administration will unfold when they renew our mandate,” he said.
In a different statement, the National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Lanre Issa-onilu, said it was deeply pained by the loss.
The statement read, “Our great party is deeply pained by this painful loss. We pray for the dearly departed and express our deep condolences to their family members, loved ones and the good people of Taraba State.
“We also pray for the speedy and full recovery of our dear supporters who suffered injuries in the sad incident caused by overcrowding.”
Also, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar, expressed his sadness over the tragedy.
According to a statement released by his media aide, Paul Ibe, Atiku stated that, “All Nigerian lives matter whether they are of the APC, PDP or any other party.”
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