The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) on Monday, announced the cancellation of the rally of its candidate, Atiku Abubakar, in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital.
Rivers PDP Rally Cancelled
The PDP PCC Chairman in Rivers State, Senator Lee Maeba disclosed this in a statement.
Maeba cited insecurity as the reason for the cancellation of the rally.
According to him, “The expected victory of Atiku Abubakar does not worth the blood of any Rivers man or woman.”
More details are to be added soon as this is a developing story.
Below is the full statement by Senator Maeba
PRESS STATEMENT
Gentlemen of the press the PDP Presidential Campaign Council, Rivers State wishes to
brief you on the happenings in Rivers State on the vexed issue of Campaigning for her
Presidential Candidate Alhaji Atiku Abubakar; Wazirin Adamawa.
It will be recalled that in May 2022 the Peoples Democratic Party held
her Presidential Primaries wherein Alhaji Atiku Abubakar emerged as the Presidential
Candidate of the party.
It will be further recalled that Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, Governor of Rivers State, a co-
contestant did not take his loss in good stead.
We will recall that because Alhaji Atiku Abubakar did not choose Nyesom Ezenwo
Wike as a Vice Presidential Candidate which he lobbied, he was further let loose, resulting in his forming and leading a rebel group known as G-5 or integrity group
purposely working against the candidate of the party.
The Peoples Democratic Party appointed a Presidential Campaign Council in Rivers
State with senator Lee Maeba as Chairman and Alabo Sir Abiye Sekibo as Director
General. The Governor of Rivers State in his avowed desire to scuttle and frustrate the
Campaign program of the Party has carried out the following through his agents and
acolytes.
1. On the 19th of August, 2022 the petroleum filling station of Honourable Chinyere Igwe
alongside the Hospitality business premises of Honourable Jones Ogbonda and Ike
Chinda were variously sealed by mouth order of Governor Ezenwo Nyesom Wike
for the ‘’offense’’ of being the supporters of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar; Wazirin Adamu, the Presidential Candidate of PDP. The petroleum filling station has remained sealed up until this moment.
2. On the 6th of November, 2022 one Udo Nwankwoala was brutalized in the company of Honourable Nnamdi Nwogu at Omumafor while pasting the Campaign posters of
Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, this was reported to the police with pictorial evidence but
nothing was heard from the police to date.
3. On the 8th of December, 2022 the house of Senator Lee Maeba was attacked and
bodily harm was inflicted on his property and person in the house. This was reported
to the police, but instead of investigating the matter the Commissioner of Police Rivers
State alleged that it was perpetrated by the Senator.
4. On the 10th December 2022 the business premises of Hon. Levi Okparanta at
Omagwa was sealed by the Chairman of Ikwerre Local Government for the ‘’offence’’ of pasting the Alhaji Atiku Abubakar Campaign poster. This was also reported to the
police but again no action was taken.
5. On 14th December 2022 one Rhino Owhohaire the youth director of Atiku/Okowa
Campaign Council was shot in his village Alu in Ikwerre Local Government Area and
same was reported to the Police high command and nothing came out of it even
when a suspect was arrested the government of Rivers State as an interested
accomplice went and took him on bail.
6. On the 5th of February, 2023 31 members of the Atiku Support Group were arrested
in their meeting venue at GRA, Port Harcourt, and arraigned for remand at the
correctional center in Port Harcourt on trumped-up charges of unlawful assembly, conspiracy, and cultism on 6th February 2023, they have been given 23rd March 2023 as the return date, the intention was to keep them out of the election.
7. On the 9th of February, 2023 Alabo Abiye Sekibo was informed that the venue
earmarked for the PDP Presidential Campaign Rally was on fire at Rainbow Town and he was attacked when he went to ascertain the veracity of the information. The
attack was done by the Police attached to the Government House, Port Harcourt. Fortunately, he escaped unhurt by the divine providence of God but his vehicle was
fatally damaged by a rain of bullets.
It is therefore instructive to note that all these narratives indicate in the vituperation and overt acts of Nyesom Ezenwo Wike Governor of Rivers State viz;
a) He has openly branded members of the PDP Presidential Council and all supporters of the Presidential Candidate as enemies of the State and vows to crush them and
video evidence is bound to support the assertion.
b) He has admitted carrying out the attack on Alabo Sir Abiye Sekibo and Senator
Lee Maeba in his earlier statement at Eleme on Friday 10th February 2023
boasting that armed robbers were chased away coming to take the Government
land and they are lucky to run away before his arrival at the scene
c) He tried to make an unimpressive denial that does not hold water as a facile liar. Governor Nyesom Wike has admitted to the commission of the heinous
crime of attempted murder, causing grievous harm and damage to property and
harboring Government house Police to inflict injurious harm to Political
opponent.
8. On the apparent bad faith and the invidious design of the Governor, he after a long
wait approved the use of Adokiye Amesiamaka Stadium for the Presidential Rally, but upon the Campaign Council visiting the Stadium to ascertain the status of the
facilities, he berated their visit and put in a new rule as they can only visit the Stadium
48 hours before the fixed date of the Rally.
9. Regrettably and predictably, the Governor canceled the approval on the flimsy
excuse that our party wants to hold a joint rally with APC in Rivers State on the
approved date of 11th February 2023 to foment trouble.
10. This unstable and unreliable stand of the Governor leads the Campaign Council to
scout for an alternative venue and got a private entity land at Rainbow Town Port
Harcourt.
11. The Governor with the use of Government House Police and other hoodlums has
threw unabated violence, making it impossible to secure peaceful use of the facility.
12. This is in tandem with the instruction of the Governor to his LGA Chairmen and
other appointees of Government to exterminate, scuttle and bring to failure any
campaign for the vote for the Candidate of PDP in the Presidential Election.
13. This is also supported by the injunction obtained exparte from the Magistrate
court by his Attorney General, a Court without jurisdiction to seal all Campaign offices
of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar in Rivers State.
14. This is also part of the wider plot to maliciously put away members of the
Campaign council until the Presidential Elections is over on frivolous charges.
15. In light of the above submission, we the State Campaign Council in total
constructive engagement with the National Presidential Campaign Council, The
The candidate and the Party have seen and evaluated the bodily harm and hurt and
potential death believes that no loss of human life can be tolerated or accepted
before, during, and after and agreed with our Principals on the need to shelve and or
cancel the rally to avoid any deaths.
16. This may be painful but is the best decision to take as no human death can be
excused on the insistent of holding the rally due to the brigandage which the security agencies have not been able to rein in and restore confidence security-wise on the
populace.
17. We make bold to say so in the last preceding paragraph as Section 91(1) and (4) of the Electoral Act 2022 gave the party the right to hold rallies and processions with police and other security apparatus of the Federal Government of Nigeria providing
adequate security, but it is too forthcoming and we do not intend to take the laws into
our hands believing and paying allegiance to the laws of the Federal Republic of
Nigeria without derogation.
18. Finally we pray the President and Commander in Chief, President Muhammadu
Buhari to act decisively as President of Nigeria by instructing and making sure the
Security Agencies do their job in an impartial manner that will restore confidence and
buy into the free and fair election being mouthed.
In other news, Kanyi Daily reported that the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele on Monday afternoon met with President Muhammadu Buhari at the State House, Abuja.
Godwin Emefiele, according to reports, arrived at the villa around 1:00 pm.
