Eight hundred plain-clothe and regular policemen were deployed in Kaduna to provide security for the wife of President Goodluck Jonathan, Dame Patience Jonathan, during the Peoples Democratic Party North-West rally for women on Wednesday.
But the wife of the President was absent at the rally, which held at the Kaduna Township Stadium.
She however attended another rally in Port-Harcourt, capital of her home state of Rivers.
The 800 policemen in Kaduna also had the support of operatives of other security agencies, including soldiers, who were stationed at strategic locations leading to the venue of the PDP women rally.
Motorists and other road users were barred from the Independence Way that led to the venue, resulting in heavy traffic gridlock in the Tafawa Balewa/Ungwar Rimi area of the city.
At the rally, Kaduna State Governor Mukhtar Yero boasted that the PDP would win the March 28 and April 11 elections in the state, saying Kaduna had been a PDP state and would remain so even after the elections.
The governor said, “The Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is from Zazzau Emirate and we’re very proud of him because even his principal, President Goodluck Jonathan, has described him as a faithful and loyal deputy.
“Our son has also brought some developmental projects to the state, like the Gurara and Kudendan Power stations which are expected to reactivate moribund industries in the state.
“The resuscitated Lagos–Kano line definitely will pass through Kaduna State and our people will be the beneficiary not to talk of the new Abuja–Kaduna fast track where people can work in Abuja and live in Kaduna.”
Amina Sambo, wife of the Vice President, who represented Mrs. Patience, urged women from the North-West to vote for Jonathan during the March 28 rescheduled election.
She called on the women to come out en mass and vote for the President without fear of intimidation or harassment from the opposition party.
