The Governor of Rivers, Nyesom Wike, said the state government has granted the request of the Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to use the Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium for the party’s presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar’s campaign rally in the state.
Wike however explained that the approval granted at no cost to the PCC is that the stadium will be accessible to the council 48 hours to the February 11 presidential campaign.
The Rivers governor disclosed this while speaking at the campaign flag-off rally by the Rivers State PDP Campaign Council in Oyigbo Local Government Area on Friday.
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He said the Director-General of the PCC in Rivers State, Dr. Abiye Sekibo, has no right to want to take possession of the stadium one month before the date of the stipulated event.
Wike warned Sekibo not to provoke the Rivers State Government in his bid to take possession of the state-owned stadium weeks to the campaign or the approval would be cancelled.
The governor reiterated the term of the approval that the Sekibo-led Rivers PCC can only begin to access the stadium two days to the event to verify and put in place what they required for their rally.
“Let me also use this opportunity to warn Abiye Sekibo, we have made approval for your presidential candidate to use Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium, February 11th, you have no right to begin to go to the stadium now. We cannot give you access to the stadium now. We can only give you access to the stadium two days to the occasion for you to prepare.
“Nobody gave you one month. So, if you dare it again, to go and force yourself into the stadium, I will cancel the approval with immediate effect. Dare it again, I will cancel it. Heaven will not fall. In fact, if heaven falls now, we will be happy that it was in our time heaven came down,” Wike said.
The governor asked why Sekibo was acting against the approval given to him, saying he appeared to be finding a reason to blame in the event that the rally fails.
“I know you are not ready to do that rally. You are only looking for excuse. But you must do it. I know you are going to import people, no problems, go and import. We have given you the stadium,” Wike said.
The governor also took a swipe at the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state for blaming the crisis that greeted the campaign of its governorship candidate in Mile One Diobu, Port Harcourt on Thursday.
The governor stressed that APC became a victim to the brewing crisis between the two factions in Rumuwoji community because they did not address their demand adequately.
Wike queried why APC did not encounter crisis with their rallies when they used the Tipper Park in Etche Local Government and the IYM Secretariat in Ikwerre Local Government.
The governor asked them to stop complaining if they were not ready for the forthcoming general election because the PDP in the state is fully prepared for the election.