Bisola David
The Rivers State government has revoked its approval for Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, the Peoples Democratic Party’s presidential candidate, to use the Adokiye Amesieamaka Stadium in Igwurita-Ali, Port Harcourt.
According to LEADERSHIP, the State government had already granted the use of the stadium for the PDP Presidential Campaign Council’s campaign rally in the State on February 11, 2013.
However, the State Commissioner for Sports accused the PDP presidential candidate of preparing to have a joint campaign at the location with the All Progressives Congress in a letter submitted to the Director-General of the Campaign Council, Rt. Hon. Aminu Waziri Tambuwal .
The letter, dated January 31, 2023, and signed by the Commissioner for Sports, Barrister Christopher Green, states in part: “Credible intelligence available to the Government of Rivers State and recent developments now show that your Presidential Campaign Organization is working in collaboration and in cohorts with a faction of the All Progressives Congress in Rivers State led by Tonye Patrick Cole and that it is the intention of your Presidential Campaign Organization to accomplish and share the approved facility for you with the said faction of the All Progressive Congress”.
Recall that Governor Nyesom Wike had accused the PDP national leadership of anti-party conduct while addressing at a governorship campaign rally.
“We have caught them,” the governor declared. They are the ones waging anti-party campaigns. I warned them that anti-party behavior breeds anti-party behavior. You are aware that we sued these little parties for breaking the law.
“The persons in Abuja who claim to be nationals have gone to cooperate with them (opposition parties) to prepare a letter telling our lawyers to take a back seat, in an effort to scuttle the cases we filed,” one of them said. I’ve instructed our attorneys to stop working on the cases. I’ll get back at them by tomorrow.
“No one can harm us without leaving a scar. I would leave him with many scars if he dares to touch us in Rivers State, and we have already started that. This is a vote for our people. You have now admitted to us that you are anti-party. We’ll demonstrate what an anti-party is. We have already caught them in the act”.
