The Peoples Democratic Party Presidential Campaign Council (PDP PCC) in Rivers State has slammed governor Nyesom Wike, over the cancellation of the stadium approval granted for the party’s presidential campaign in Port Harcourt, the State capital.
Leloonu Nwibubasa, the spokesman for the PDP PCC in the state, in an interview with Punch, also stated that the governor lacked integrity for not naming his preferred presidential candidate in January as he promised.
Nwibubasa said from all indications, the governor was increasingly frustrated.
Information Nigeria had reported that the state government cancelled the approval given to the PDP for the rally of its standard bearer to hold in the state on February 11, 2023.
The cancellation was contained in a letter signed by the state Commissioner for Sports, Christopher Green, and addressed to the Director General, PDP PCC, Aminu Tambuwal.
The letter said credible information available to the state government showed that the PDP PCC was working in collaboration with a faction of the All Progressives Congress in the state led by Tonye Cole.
It also revealed that information at the government’s disposal show that activities of the APC in the state have always been marred by violence due largely to irreconcilable internal conflicts within the party.
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It added, “The Rivers State Government is unable to risk damage to or destruction of the very valuable and priced asset, the Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium, which your use of the same in collaboration with your Tonye Patrick Cole APC faction will expose it to.
“In the circumstance, the Rivers State Government has come to the painful but inevitable decision to withdraw the approval earlier given to you for the use of the stadium and the said approval is hereby withdrawn.”
Information Nigeria recalls that the governor in January told the Director-General of the PCC, Abiye Sekibo, that he has no right to take possession of the stadium one month before the date of the stipulated event.
He warned Sekibo not to provoke the Rivers State government by desperately wanting to take possession of the State-owned stadium weeks to the campaign, or else the approval would be cancelled.
“Let me also use this opportunity to warn Abiye Sekibo, we have made approval for your presidential candidate to use Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium, February 11, 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.
However, Nwibubasa, while reacting to the development, described the state government’s earlier approval as a Greek gift.
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Berating Wike, Nwibubasa further said the governor was not a good fighter, because a good fighter knows when to quit.
“We are not surprised when certain decisions are taken because it all amounts to the fact that the level of frustration is 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 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.”
Responding to Wike’s inability to name his preferred presidential candidate, he said it shows the governor has no integrity.
“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, for us, it is painful that we have a governor who says one thing and does the other.”
