The rally organised by the Transformation Ambassadors of Nigeria (TAN) in Minna, Niger state on Saturday turned tragic as the stage prepared for governors, officials of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and highly placed government officials including the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Pious Anyim Pious, collapsed while the rally was going on.
Those who survived the incident included Anyim, his wife, Governor Babangida Aliyu and other top PDP members.
This was supposed to be the third in a series of rallies organised by TAN to woo Nigerians to support President Goodluck Jonathan’s second term ambition and vote for him in in year 2015.
The incident occurred while dignitaries expected at the event were already seated and the event had just begun. The stage caved in trapping some of the dignitaries.
The collapse of the stage came with a loud bang that resulted in pandemonium that caused many to sustain various degrees of injury.
Though it was not known at the time of this report if there were casualties, it was learnt that many Nigerians who had crowded the Minna Trade Fair Complex venue of the event ran for their lives as they thought it was an explosion.
Soon, the entire place almost became deserted with only a handful of people hanging around to know what actually happened.
Sources at the event told Huhuonline.com that it took Governor Babangida Aliyu of Niger Stateserious effort to convince people to stay back explaining that the situation had been brought under control and that the incident should be seen as a sacrifice for success.
Also, Senator Gabriel Aduda representing the Federal Capital Territory, told the people at the rally to hold Jonathan’s enemies and the opposition responsible for the collapse of the stage and modifying a verse from the Bible, said “No weapon fashioned against us and Jonathan shall succeed.”
He later said the crowd at the stage was too much and that was the reason for the collapse.
Many of the injured including top government officials were rushed to the hospital, according to TAN officials who spoke to Huhuonline.com.
At the rally which later kicked off, the Minister of Information, Labaran Maku, praised his boss saying, the rally was to celebrate the president.
According to Maku, the presidency can only return to the north after Jonathan serves another four years.
Maku assured the audience that he would deliver 95 percent votes to Jonathan from his state, Nasarawa in the 2015 presidential election.
The rally was ongoing at the time of this report.
It is noteworthy that the opposition had called for the cancellation of the rally by TAN several times, in the face of the deadly Ebola Virus Disease which the country is battling.
Days ago, the president had also advised against such large gatherings for political, social or religious affairs, but had refused to stop such rallies which favour him.
On Thursday the president had ordered the removal of all posters and banners campaigning for him with #BringBackOurGirls tag with which Nigerians had been calling on the government to rescue the abducted Chibok girls by the Boko Haram sect over 150 days ago.
The president’s instruction came after some international media organisations feasted on the #BringBackJonathan2015 with the Washington Post carrying a damning editorial that embarrassed the presidency
