From the entrance to the street, off Yedseram, around the Maitama fruits market, you cannot buy notice the increased presence of people along his street, more so with his house located by the entrance to Owena Close off the road leading to IGP’s official residence in. Maitama
Senator Yari, who is vehemently bent on becoming the Senate President is definitely a religious man. The marabouts are in their hundreds. At least we could count over 500 both within and outside of the house. Apart from these Muslim prayer warriors, there were other well-wishers workers and friends who are also there.
The die seems cast for today’s inauguration of the 10th National Assembly. Yari’s desperation to go against the wishes of his party and contest against the anointed candidate of both the party and the President has seen him gone to court twice to obtain injunctions that he should not be arrested by EFCC, ICPC or DSS in the days and hours before the inauguration.
Having been in and out of court since he left office as a Governor, he knows the legion of criminal activities that can be sprung against him in the last minute. Some of these include financing terrorism, money laundering and stealing public funds. But these will not deter him.
Today, he battles the candidate nominated by his party leadership to lead the Senate- Godswill Akpabio who happens to be a Christian. The party in its wisdom, having picked Muslim President and Vice President believe it is only fair that a Christian should be the Senate President. But Yari will have none of this. He has successfully rallied a lot of people of his faith and from the Northern part of the country to his side while many still believe that the imbalance created will definitely not augur well for a country with such a large population of Christians.
For many of Yari’s neighbours in Maitama, this is not a new scene. Only that the marabouts presence has made some of them lose their sleep with the volume of noise generated by the crowd in a hitherto quiet zone. Not only this, over 72 cars are parked on both sides of the road leading to his residence at 2, Owena Close, Off Yedseram Street Maitama.
By the time the whole thing dies down, AEPB might have to visit the house as the smell of faeces from those who had to defecate outside the house on the streets will definitely linger after the crowd have left.
Music blaring all throughout yesterday and all through the night is perhaps not the best way to pray or encourage your neighbours to join you in praying that you become the country’s number 3 man. Rather they will silently be praying you lose out and their peace is restored.
And if Abdulazeez Yari wins the Senate Presidency, residents of Owena Street will have to adjust to living with the crowd, the smell of urine and open defecation.
