Bloodshed averted: …As Buhari supporters clash with traders in Abuja

Supporters of All Progressive Congress (APC) on Thursday, last week, in Utako during a campaign rally for the presidential election flew off the handle.
While on the campaign trip in the afternoon, the troupe passed through many streets, singing their campaign songs and slogans, asking people to support them in the coming polls.

An ugly drama however, played out as they drove along the busy Utako Market in their campaign vans, luxury cars and buses with their APC campaign posters and colourful T-shirts. In high spirit as they waved their brooms, some of the supporter jumped down from the vans and started sweeping the front of the Ekeson Plaza that houses an automobile parts market announcing that “APC will sweep PDP out in February to effect a change in the country.”
However, some youths that operate the spare parts businesses could not stomach the attempt by the APC youths to compel them to shout the APC slogan for change. While the campaigners insisted that the youths that stood by their business places must echo that Buhari is the man and APC the party, the traders became enraged by what they termed intimidation from the APC members and started shouting their support for the PDP instead.
At that point, some of the overzealous APC supporters engaged the traders in fisticuffs, throwing pure water and stones at them in protest. The situation was about degenerating into crisis when policemen accompanying the APC campaigners and some from the nearby police post at the Utako market intervened to disperse the crowd.
The crisis that lasted for up to 30 minutes caused heavy traffic on the busy road for hours, preventing commuters and pedestrians from moving freely.
During an interaction with Abuja Metro that witnessed the incident, some of the traders that pleaded anonymity asked:
“Why will they force us to campaign for or support APC or Buhari. We are citizens of Nigeria and it is our civil right to vote whoever we wish to lead Nigeria not them making it mandatory for us to accept Buhari.  We need a young, vibrant and God fearing leader with a heart for the masses not a dictator.”
“Though, I wasn’t born during his regime as military head of state, but my father told me the story of the military leader and watching it live on national television cleared my doubt. He will not give us the change APC or Nigerians are clamouring for. But even if APC or Buhari are like the gods and angels, Nigeria operates multi-party democracy and nobody should come to our business place to intimidate and compel us to support them. We were ready for their war, and if the police did not stop them, there would have been big problem here. It should be a lesson to them not to try such next time,” he said
On their plans for February 14 polls, some of the traders said they don’t plan to travel out of Abuja but would remain in the city to vote the candidate of their choice. Though, some of them regretted they don’t have permanent voter cards, but they will support their choice candidate.
Some of them, especially the older ones expressed fears of crisis as demonstrated by the APC supporters towards them, and noted that they might send their families to their native states before the election.