Buhari Speaks At Chatham House, As Rented Hecklers Clash With APC Supporters Outside Venue

Muhammad Buhari, the presidential candidate of the All
Progressives Congress (APC) today delivered a widely
anticipated speech at the Chatham House in London,
affirming his readiness to run and win the postponed
2015 presidential elections.
Mr. Buhari arrived at the Chatham House venue of the event
accompanied by several APC figures, including former Governor
Ahmed Bola Tinubu, the party’s national chairman John Odigie
Oyegun, and Governors Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State and
Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State as well as former Ekiti state
governor, Kayode Fayemi.
Buhari taking notes during the Q & A at Chatham
House talk
The event had its dramatic sideshow as a group of Nigerians
sponsored by the Nigerian government showed up to heckle Mr.
Buhari in order to disrupt his talk.
Mr. Buhari’s appearance to give the lecture squelched a media
frenzy driven by claims by Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti
State to the effect that the APC’s presidential candidate was
very ill and hospitalized in a UK hospital. Several party officials
had dismissed the speculations, insisting that those spreading
them, including Mr. Fayose, were desperate to use such
insidious schemes to slow the APC’s political momentum.
Buhari and Rotimi Amaechi beofre the talk at Chatham
House
Mr. Buhari, a retired army general, looked fit and healthy and
made a few jokes in response to the rumors about his health.
He said he had received calls from Maiduguri that a woman was
in tears, thinking he had died. He said his doctors had declared
him fit and vowed to return to Nigeria to lead his party’s “final
onslaught” against the ruling People’s Democratic Party.
The APC candidate took notes and stood up during parts of the
event as he responded to questions posed by participants
during the session.
Prior to Mr. Buhari’s arrival to give his speech, a group of
protesters reportedly hired by President Goodluck Jonathan’s
campaign stood outside the venue chanting anti-Buhari songs.
SaharaReporters had revealed that Mr. Jonathan’s campaign
had spent $20,000 to hire a group of Nigerians in the UK to
stage protests against Mr. Buhari at today’s talk. As the event
proceeded inside, members of the APC in the UK mobilized to
the scene to confront the hecklers and support their
candidate. The verbal clash between the two groups created a
tense atmosphere at the venue.
Officers of the UK Metropolitan police later patrolled the area to
calm down the feuding camps.

Credit:Sahara Reporters