Investigation in some motor parks in
Kaduna metropolis revealed that the number of passengers travelling out
of the state have increased for a non-festive period.
Fears of fresh violence in some states
in the north were reported, following the cancellation of the April 2
National Assembly election, which some political parties have described
as a deliberate ploy by the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to
rig the elections.
Mrs. Comfort Obi, a mother of four, who
was traveling to Nnewi in Anambra State, said she was travelling to her
village and would remain there till after the election.
A bus driver, one Ahmed Tijani, plying
the Okene Lokoja route at Sabo Television Garage, disclosed that many
families, especially non-indigenes, have decided to leave the town
until after the elections, when the tension would have subsided.
Already, there are fears that there may
be uprising in some parts of the north, Kaduna in particular, if the
ruling PDP eventually wins the presidential election scheduled to hold
on April 16. This is because of the ongoing agitation by some aggrieved
politicians in the region that power should remain in the north till
2015.
At Sabo Television Garage, the luxury
buses going to the eastern part of the country are having a field day
with the large number of passengers who are travelling out of the town,
even though Easter is not yet around the corner. Many of them are
travelling with their children, despite the fact that schools are still
in session.
Mrs. Caroline Ekandem, one of the
female passengers at the garage, who was travelling with her two
children to Akwa Ibom State, said that “the future of my children
depends when they are alive, and if they are dead, will they go to
school any longer? Let the school wait; they will continue from where
they stopped when they return after the election.”
Good business
Also in Kawo and Mando motor parks,
many passengers were seen travelling out of the state. One of the park
officers in Kawo told NEXT that they are enjoying more patronage from
the passengers, as if it was a festive period.
A bus driver with Kaduna State
Transport Authority, Suleiman Salihu, corroborated the story of many
people leaving the state due to heightening tension over the elections.
“It is unusual to see many passengers
patronising us around this period. Some of the passengers are
travelling with their entire families and they are carrying many loads.
This means they will stay for a long time in their villages before
returning back to Kaduna,” he said.
However, some families who were seen
leaving on Wednesday told NEXT they were going to their villages to
vote for the candidates of their choice, and not because of fear of any
violence during the elections. They said it is better for them to
travel to where they registered to cast their votes and ensure that the
right candidates are voted into power.
Meanwhile, the heavy traffic usually
witnessed around Station Market and Stadium Roundabout in the city has
reduced due to the decline in the population of road users.
An official of the Federal Road Safety
Commission, Thompson Dalong, who was controlling traffic at the very
busy road, confirmed that they were not having the usual hectic task of
controlling the traffic because of the reduction in the number of
motorists.
