February 02, (THEWILL) – The ongoing rift between the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar and Governor Nyesom Wike, was further escalated on Wednesday, when the Rivers State Government revoked the approval granted the PDP Presidential Campaign Organisation to use the state-owned Adoki Amasiaemeka Stadium in Ikwerre LGA for its campaign scheduled for February 11.
The State government, on January 21, granted approval for the use of the stadium for the campaign with a condition that the facility would only be accessed 48 hours before the event.
However, Wike, on January 23, while speaking at the campaign flag-off rally by the Rivers State PDP Campaign Council in Oyigbo Local Government Area, threatened to revoked the approval for the Stadium.
The Governor had further reiterated his threat on Tuesday, when he threatened to deal with the national leadership of the PDP for forcing to withdraw Emmanuel Ukala (SAN), as counsel to the Rivers State PDP in cases between it and the Accord, as well as other parties in the state.
However, Rivers Commissioner for Sports, Barrister Christopher Green, explained that the decision of the state government to revoke the approval followed an intelligence report that the Atiku Campaign Organisation planned to share the facility with the state’s APC governorship candidate, Tonye Cole.
Citing violent acts among members of the Rivers APC, Green said the State Government was not ready to expose the stadium to any risk of being damaged.
The Commissioner in a letter dated January 31, 2023, addressed to the Director General of the Atiku Campaign Organisation and Governor of Sokoto State, Aminu Tambuwal, said, “Credible intelligence available to the government of Rivers State and recent developments now show that your presidential campaign organisation is working in collaboration/cahoots with a faction of the All Progressives Congress APC in Rivers state led by Tonye Patrick Cole and that is the intention of your presidential campaign organisation to accommodate and share the approved facility for your campaign with the said faction of the All Progressives Congress, APC.
“Government records show that the activities of the APC in Rivers state have always been marred by violence due largely to irreconcilable internal conflicts within the party including shootings and killings in the course of protests arising from the nomination process of delegates for primaries and detonation of explosives in the course of campaigns (Explosion Rocks APC Campaigns in Rivers.
“The Rivers state government is unable to risk damage to or destruction of the very valuable and priced asset, the Adokiye Amasiemaka stadium, which your use of the same in collaboration with your Tonye Patrick Cole APC faction will definitely expose it to.
“In this circumstance, the Rivers government has come to the painful but inevitable decision to withdraw the approval earlier given to you for the use of the stadium.”
Meanwhile, the PDP Campaign Council in Rivers State has berated Governor Wike over the withdrawal of the approval.
The spokesperson for the PDP-PCC in the state, Dr Leloonu Nwibubasa, described the state government’s earlier approval as a Greek gift.
“We are not surprised when certain decisions are taken because it all amounts to the level of frustration increasing.
“We will only appeal to him that he should return to his party and return to the part of peace. And that is part of the honour. No one fights a war and refuses to evaluate the same war, and knows when to call it quits. He is not a good fighter.
“For the presidential candidate of the PDP, we are very certain that Rivers people are happy with him. They are in love with him and they are going to vote for him en masse come February 25, 2023.
“His inability to name his preferred candidate as publicly announced in January, again is a pointer to his level of instability and incoherence.
“It tells of his integrity that he cannot match his words with action. So, it is painful for us to have a governor who says one thing and does the other”, he said.
Also, the Rivers state governorship candidate of the APC, Tonye Cole on Thursday, denied the allegation that the party planned to share the stadium with the Atiku Campaign Organisation.
Speaking on Arise News morning show, Cole accused Wike of perpetrating violence in the State.
He also alleged that the Governor instructed all the local governments’ Chairmen in Rivers state to ensure nobody supports Atiku in Rivers state or allowed the Rivers APC to campaign in the state.
Cole, however, debunked reports that governor Wike had instructed the Rivers people to support the presidential candidate of the APC, Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
About the Author
