Governor Nyesom Ezenwo Wike has opened up on why he approved the use of the Adokiye Amasiameka Stadium for the use of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar after withdrawing an earlier approval.
He spoke at Ogu Mini Stadium, venue of the Rivers State PDP campaign flag-off rally for Ogu/Bolo Local Government Area on Tuesday just as he dismissed what he claimed as speculations by some Abuja based PDP chiefs that the party’s governorship candidate, Sir Siminialayi Fubara was set to be replaced.
Explaining why he returned the use of the stadium to the Atiku Campaign for its scheduled rally on February 11, 2023, Wike said the reversal was upon appeals from some quarters.
He said: “This morning after appeal from people who talked to me, I have given them back Adokiye Amiesimaka. Go and campaign. Let it not be that because they didn’t campaign that is why they didn’t win in Rivers State.”
The governor, however, did not name those who appealed to him.
The Rivers State Government had earlier cancelled the approval following what it claimed as the collaboration between Atiku campaign officials in the state and those it claimed as the violent wing of the All Progressives Congress, APC in the state.
The government claimed that the actions of the APC faction were normally shadowed with violence and that it could not risk allowing the facilities in the stadium to be damaged by such collaboration.
Newsmen report that the decision by Gov Wike to approve the stadium for the use of Atiku will be seen as a disappointment by those willing to exploit the crisis in the PDP for their benefit.
