Alhaji Atiku Abubakar’s Rivers State presidential campaign rally has been given permission by Governor Nyesom Wike to utilize the Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium in Omagwa, Ikwerre Local Government Area (LGA), with a waiver of the N5 million venue fee required under Wike’s Executive Order 21.
The news corroborated rumors that the Rivers governor had ordered the Atiku campaign event to be held in the large Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium rather than the Port Harcourt Polo Club, where it had originally been scheduled out of concern for violating Wike’s Executive Order 21.
The governor did, however, condition the favor on the Presidential Campaign Council’s access to the Stadium 48 hours before to the start of the 2023 presidential campaign.
Wike revealed this at the Rivers State PDP Campaign Council’s rally on Friday for the Oyigbo LGA. He warned Dr. Abiye Sekibo, Director-General of the PCC in Rivers State, not to anger the State government by desperately trying to gain access to the stadium earlier than planned, as doing so would result in the approval being revoked.
Wike, in his warning told Abiye Sekibo, “We have 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 can only give you access 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 cancel it. Heaven will not fall. Even if heaven falls now, we will be happy that it was in our time heaven came down.
“I know you are not ready to do that rally. You are only looking for excuses. But you must do it. I know you are going to import people, no problems, go and import. We have given you the stadium.”