Rivers seals Atiku campaign office over ‘violation of executive order’

The Rivers government has sealed the campaign office of Atiku Abubakar, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, in the state.

The office, located in Port Harcourt, the state capital, was sealed on Friday.

The office was sealed on the directive of the state government following a court order.

Kelvin Ebiri, Wike’s spokesperson, confirmed the development to TheCable, saying a state executive order in place prohibits the location of campaign offices in residential areas.

“The Rivers state government approached a court which ordered that the place should be sealed up,” Ebiri said.

“The Rivers state executive order 22 prohibits the location of a political campaign office in a residential area. It was the court that ordered the place to be sealed up.”

Friday’s development is the latest in a cycle of controversies involving Abubakar and Wike, a governor elected on the platform of the party.

There has been crisis in the PDP amid calls for the removal of Iyorchia Ayu, the PDP national chairman.

Although he is still a member of the PDP, the governor has, in recent months, been seen in the company of candidates from other parties.

In October, he alleged that Abubakar constituted the PDP presidential campaign council in Rivers “without a whole (sic) governor of a state having a contribution”.

Speaking on Thursday at the inauguration of a flyover in Obi-Akpor LGA, Wike said he will announce his preferred presidential candidate in January and mobilise people “from state to state” for the candidate.

“From January next year, I will campaign to my people who they will vote for. So, all of you who have been suspects and have been saying all kinds of things and abusing me, wait. January has come,” he said.

Meanwhile, on Wednesday, he had warned politicians against flouting the executive order in the state.