Clash of rallies: Umahi asks APC to give up Ebonyi stadium for PDP

David Umahi, governor of Ebonyi state, has asked his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), to choose another venue for its presidential rally, so the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) can use the state’s stadium for its campaign rally.

The presidential campaign rally of both parties is slated for January 26 in Abakaliki, the state capital, the APC had planned to use Pa Ngele Oruta Township stadium.

Chooks Okoh, the governor’s media aide, said in a statement that Umahi appealed to the APC to move its rally to another venue after the PDP wrote him requesting to use Pa Ngele Oruta Township stadium.

The opposition party also accepted to pay the prescribed fees in line with the executive order in the state.

But according to Okoh, Umahi waived the fees and directed the acting chairman of the state board of internal revenue not to collect any money from the opposition party.

He also directed the commissioner for youth and sports development to grant the party unhindered access to the facility and notified the state commissioner of police to provide adequate security to the PDP.

The governor had earlier approved the facility for the Labour Party (LP) presidential rally which is yet to hold in the state.

In November 2022, Umahi declared himself as a member of the G-5, a group of five PDP governors who have excluded themselves from the party’s presidential campaign, over calls for the resignation of Iyorchia Ayu, the party’s national chairman.