A Second Republic lawmaker, Dr. Junaid Mohammed, has claimed he knew how the crowd that welcome President Muhammadu Buhari on his return from medical vacation in London were hired.
Mohammed said there was nothing genuine about the jubilations that greeted Buhari’s return.
According to him, the crowd that jubilated in different parts of the Abuja were rented by the “cabal” in the presidency led by Mamman Daura.
The ex-lawmaker went on to say that Mamman Daura is now more powerful than President Buhari as he is the one in control of the country.
“There was nothing genuine about it. They (the people who jubilated upon Buhari’s return) were rented crowds”, he told Punch,
“We know how they were recruited. Some of the characters in the cabal and their lackeys have a voice in the media.
“Their thugs in town were the people who were given money and some transport was provided for them.
“Some came from as far as Kaduna, Jos and other areas – so, I’m not surprised.
“In my own experience in politics, if it is anything to go by, rented crowds don’t confirm or deny anything.
“And anybody who has been in (Nigerian) politics for over 40 years will tell you that rented crowds don’t prove anything and they don’t disprove anything either.
“We now have a situation whereby the presidency is becoming too powerful, and unfortunately, the president is not in charge.
“There are some shady characters whom nobody elected. Mamman Daura has never been elected into any office in his life.
“As I speak, the man does not hold any piece of paper indicating that he has held any position . But he is more powerful than Buhari.
“He is effectively in charge of the country, under the presidency. This is a scandal, and if Buhari doesn’t see this as a scandal, it ’s a shame.”
Cabal rented crowd that welcomed Buhari from London – Junaid Mohammed