2023: Stampede, equipment damaged, as Atiku chases journalists from Plateau PDP secretariat

Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar chased journalists out of the Plateau State Secretariat of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP when he visited on Monday to meet with the State leadership and delegates of the Party to discuss his 2023 Presidential ambition.

Atiku is the first aspirant to bar journalists from the PDP hall even though some of his co-contenders have been visiting the State in the past few weeks.

The former Vice President had arrived at the Plateau State PDP Secretariat at about 2:19 pm, but as he met journalists from the print and broadcast media waiting in the hall, he repeatedly ordered them out saying “I have nothing to do with journalists. I’m here to see delegates.”

The order prompted his aides and security details to go on a rampage, chasing out journalists, causing a stampede, and as a result, damaging gadgets including phones as well as a tripod and camera belonging to  Channels TV.

The officials and delegates who could not help the fleeing journalists were disappointed at such behavior from the former Vice-President who had been in the State in 2019 and never displayed such anger at journalists who were there on official duty.

Plateau State has about 85 national delegates but with the public outburst, it is not yet known if they would want to support his aspiration.