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Why Jonathan’s rally can’t hold at PH stadium, by Amaechi

By Kelvin Ebiri, Port Harcourt
22 January 2015   |   9:32 pm
PDP insists on use of facility THE Rivers State governor, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, has insisted that President Goodluck Jonathan’s campaign cannot hold at the Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium, Port Harcourt, next week Wednesday.   Amaechi, who stated this during the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship campaign at Etche Thursday, said there was no way the presidential…

AMAECHI

PDP insists on use of facility

THE Rivers State governor, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, has insisted that President Goodluck Jonathan’s campaign cannot hold at the Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium, Port Harcourt, next week Wednesday.

  Amaechi, who stated this during the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship campaign at Etche Thursday, said there was no way the presidential campaign rally could be held at the 40,000 capacity stadium due to ongoing construction work.

  According to him, when his party, the APC, used the stadium for two of its recent rallies, the contractor had to move his equipment out of site and undisclosed amount was later spent to return the equipment to site.

  The governor, who stated that the state government had offered the PDP other alternative venue, said the contractor had personally complained to him that he needs to complete construction work at the stadium before May, and that he could no longer accept further disruption.

  Meanwhile, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Rivers State Chapter, which had threatened to forcefully use the facility for the presidential rally, has urged the police and other security agencies to be aware of the governor’s alleged purported threat to mobilise his supporters against the PDP should it insists on holding the presidential state campaign rally in Amiesimaka Stadium.

  The PDP through the Special Adviser on Media to the state party chairman, Jerry Needam, said by refusing to grant the party the privilege to use the stadium for President Jonathan’s rally, Governor Amaechi has sufficiently proved that he has natural dislike for the President, and is only using party politics as a cover to get at the President.

  The party said that rather than focus on issues in course of the ongoing campaigns, Governor Amaechi has resorted to cast aspersions on the President. It also alleged that the governor had during a radio live programme aired in Port Harcourt threatened fire and brimstone should the PDP go ahead to hold any rally for President Jonathan in the state-owned Amiesimaka Stadium.

  Needam said: “The PDP wants Amaechi to note that there is a difference between him and the state and by extension, state-owned institutions and should stop acting as though these institutions are his personal property. Regrettably, the only reason he (Amaechi) has given for refusing the PDP the use of the new stadium is that he is the governor and has the right to say No. This is outright turning himself to the ‘state’, which is wrong and anti-democratic.

  “While we do not wish to join issues with Amaechi, we also make bold to say that Amaechi’s threats are a pointer to concluded plans to cause breach of the peace and order in the state and should be invited by the law enforcement agencies for interrogation and should also be held responsible for any possible crisis before, during and after President Jonathan’s presidential rally in the state.”

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