Atiku campaign team cancels planned rally in Rivers over ‘attacks, death threats’

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential campaign council in Rivers has announced the cancellation of its planned rally in the state.

Lee Maeba, chairperson of the PDP presidential campaign council in Rivers, made the announcement on Monday at a media briefing in Port Harcourt, the state capital.

The said rally was scheduled for Tuesday.

Maeba said the rally has been called off following attacks on the members of the campaign team in the state.

“It is, therefore, instructive to note that this directive has direction in the vituperation of an overt act of governor Nyesom Ezenwo Wike,” he said.

“In this instance, he has openly branded members of the PDP presidential campaign council and all supporters of the presidential candidate as enemies of the state and vowed to crush them. Video evidence abounds to support our assertion.

“In the light of the above submission, we the state campaign council, in total constructive engagement with the national presidential campaign council, the candidate, and the party, having seen and evaluated the bodily harm and potential death threats, believe that no loss of life can be tolerated, accepted before, during and after the presidential election, and agree with our principals on the need to shelve and or cancel the rally to avoid any death, because the victory of Atiku Abubakar does not deserve spilling of the blood of even one citizen of Rivers state.

“This may be painful, but it is the best decision to take as no human death can be excused on the insistence of hosting a rally due to the brigandage which the security agencies have not been able to break in and restore confidence, security-wise, on the populace and our members.”

Maeba asked President Muhammadu Buhari to “act decisively” and ensure that “security agencies do their job in an impartial manner that will restore confidence” in the elections.

The development comes days after Abiye Sekibo, director-general of the PDP presidential campaign council in Rivers, was attacked by armed persons.

Sekibo, who alleged that he was attacked by security operatives, also claimed that the venue which was being prepared for the campaign rally was set ablaze.

In January, the Rivers state government revoked its approval of Adokiye Amiesimaka stadium for the PDP’s presidential campaign rally over an alleged plot to share the facility with the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The main opposition party is grappling with a division caused by the decision taken by party stakeholders, including five governors led by Nyesom Wike, governor of Rivers.

Wike and his allies — including Seyi Makinde of Oyo, Samuel Ortom of Benue, Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia, and Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu — have excluded themselves from the party’s presidential campaign over calls for Iyorchia Ayu to step down as the party’s national chairperson.

The calls for Ayu’s resignation, according to the group, are based on the grounds that the presidential candidate and the national chairperson cannot be from the same region.