Pro-Buhari Protest Erupts, as Sahara Reporters Publisher, Sowore Visits Emir of Kano

The presidential bid of Omoloye Sowore, the publisher of the popular online newspaper, Sahara Reporters, hit a snag yesterday as youths protested against him when he paid a courtesy visit on the Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, at his palace in Kano.

Sowore has become a constant critic of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration since launching his presidential bid recently.

The incident occurred at around 12:00 noon when the youths, in their hundreds besieged the emir’s palace after being informed of Sowore’s visit to the emir with placards bearing different inscriptions.

THISDAY who visited the scene, observed that the youths disguised as the emir’s visitors, while waiting for the presidential aspirant, who was ushered in by the palace guards to meet the emir.

It was also observed that the drama began when Sowore’s four-car convoy was coming out of the palace, the youths then stormed the white Mercedes Benz which he boarded and started rising the placards for him to see.

Some of the placards read: 'We are not in support of Sowore', 'Sowore you are not welcomed to Kano', 'Your anti-Buhari agenda will not work’, among others.

The youths were also shouting “Bama Yi, Sai Buhari” in unison, a situation that prompted some of the youths to cover the vehicle with the placards, saying “Sowore you must read these messages.”

It was also at the climax of the scene that the driver was able to zoom off.

Speaking also, the President of Kano State Youth Council, Kabiru Lakwaya, who led the protest, said they staged the peaceful protest in order to show Sowore that he would not succeed in his presidential bid.

According to him, they had to reject Sowore due to his anti-North agenda, alleging that he was at the forefront of clamoring for dividing Nigeria.

                                                                                                        

“As youth, we don’t even know Sowore’s pedigree in the development of this country. I think he has just been employed by some unscrupulous politicians to cause distractions to Buhari’s good leadership style.

“As far as the youths in this country are concerned, we are satisfied with Buhari’s leadership, that is why we intended to give him another chance to accomplish his mission,” he said

Lakwaya also vowed that they would not support any other candidate but Buhari.

Another protester, Abdullahi Abubakar, a student of Bayero University Kano, also said they were not in support of Sowore’s bid.

He alleged that the Sahara Reporters publisher was only on a mission to compound the issue of dividing Nigeria when he gets to power, stressing that the youths in Kano, who were the highest in the country, would not give him any chance.

Meanwhile, at the palace,  Sowore said he was at the palace to greet the emir because he was the advocate of youth development.

According to him, Nigerian youths are tired of being blocked by the old politicians in governance, stressing that that was the main reason he launched his presidential aspiration.

 Sowore added that as an aspirant in the coalition party, he could turn things around in Nigeria within the shortest period of time, boasting that he could build Kano-Kaduna road in months.

“Since in school, I was an advocate for youth development. That is why we came up with Sahara Reporters in order to develop this country. We want to unseat all these aged politicians to pave way for agile youths.

“Look at this Kano-Kaduna road, I would fix it in less than three months not years. We want to turn things around as fast as possible.

“That is why I have paid a visit to the emir. He is my man. He is an advocate for development, and I am always his collaborator. Look at how he exposed corruptions in this country during President Goodluck Jonathan administration. I was the only journalist who received the emir at the airport after he was removed from Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). I was the one who saved emir from the State Security Service (SSS) when they wanted to arrest him.

“In Kano, I have no doubt Buhari enjoys massive support here, but as you can see, I am also popular here and I just started the campaigns five weeks ago. So I can move freely in Kano. I am working in the coalition of party and it will be a big coalition,” he said

In his remarks, Emir Sanusi cautioned politicians against violence, urging them to engage in issue-based campaigns.

Sanusi also called on politicians to shun all forms of violence that would engender the life of the masses, noting that that would not augur well for the development of the country.