BY SUNNY A. DAVID
The attention of our correspondent was drawn to a man at Ekwueme Square in Awka, Anambra State on Tuesday evening, when he bitterly lamented that he was disgraced by one of APC mobilizer.
The Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu held his rally in the state on Tuesday, and the venue was filled to the brim with supposed supporters.
The man, Mr Okoye was unhappy that after being mobilized to the rally from Onitsha in Onitsha South LocalGovernment Area, he was given only N1,000 as payment.
The attention of this our correspondent was drawn when the man ranted in Igbo: “Kedu udi disgration, disgracement di ifea.”
Apparently, the man meant – what kind of disgrace is this?
When our correspondent accosted him in an anonymous and friendly chat, he said he left his house as early as 6am to join other people at a primary school field for onward movement for Awka, and they arrived Awka at about 8am.
“What is the time now, and I’m still in Awka, just for N1,000. This is disgration, no, disgracement for me,” the man retorted.
Though he declined a formal interview, the man who gave his name as Okoye said he is a carpenter, and would have been able to accomplish something today if he stayed back in his shop.
When asked if he thinks the APC had deceived him, he said: “No, it is our coordinator, that deceived up. He may have been given a lot of money to give to us, but he is giving us N1,000 each.”
Meanwhile, at about 7pm, members of Nnamdi Azikiwe University student union were still stranded at Ekwueme Square, where they were making calls to the SUG President, over their mobilization fee.
The students union government of the institution had read out a letter at the rally, endorsing Tinubu.
A student who gave his name as Frank who approached this reporter to transport fare back to Ifite said: “Our leader told us to wait, and we thought he was going to bring money, but up till now, we have not seen him.”
He insisted that he didn’t have transport fare, else he would have left the scene. He pleaded with our correspondent to give him money, but when our correspondent said he didn’t have, he said he had N100, and needed to make it up to be able to get back to his lodge.