•Stadium approval revoked out of envy —Tambuwal 

•PDP PCC should be grateful to me -Wike

•UNIPORT won’t release varsity ground for the campaign —Mgt

By Egufe Yafugborhi & Davies Iheamnachor, PORT HARCOURT

The Director-General of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Presidential Campaign Council, Aminu Tambuwal, has described the cancellation of the use of  Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium for the party’s presidential rally by the Rivers State government as baseless.

Tambuwal, who is also Sokoto State governor, spoke as the PCC in a letter, yesterday, by Alabo Abiye Sekibo, Director, State Campaign Management Committee, said the state government’s decision was out of fear for the massive mobilisation by the Atiku’s campaign team in the state.

The Sokoto governor added that Governor Nyesom Wike revoked his approval for use of the stadium for the Rivers rally of the party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, out of envy.

This came as Wike said the PDP Presidential Campaign Council, PCC, should be grateful that he cancelled approval for use of Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium, saying Atiku Abubakar had no support base to fill the stadium.

This is even as the management of the University of Port Harcourt, Uniport, has said it was not considering releasing the university’s premises to Atiku’s Presidential Campaign Council for its mega rally in Rivers State.

Tambuwal in the letter by Sekibo, said: “We completely deny your assertion as patently false and perverse and we believe that our highly respected security agencies cannot furnish you with such untrue and unfounded lies.

“That the PDP Presidential Campaign Council has nothing whatsoever to do with the APC in Rivers State. , it is appalling and highly preposterous for you or anyone to assume that the PDP and APC could jointly hold an event in the same venue.

“We believe that the only reason for this cancellation is Your Excellency’s notice of our massive mobilisation and total acceptance of Atiku Abubakar as the next President of the country by the people of Rivers States.

“We are rather aware by credible information reaching us that Your Excellency has directed all local government council chairmen, special advisers, commissioners, party executives, at the state, LG and ward levels, and all other appointees of yours to work for the APC presidential candidate,  Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, even though you have not had the courage to announce same to the people of Rivers State.

“Finally, your involvement in the so called G5 is the height of ant-party activity. It is, therefore, surprising that you are now accusing us of hob-nobbling with APC faction in Rivers State.”

PDP PCC should be grateful to me -Wike

Wike, responding to the PCC’s anger over his action, Wike said: “Don’t say we stop them from holding rally. We didn’t. They applied to me and I gave them Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium. They went back and began to meet with the faction of the opposition, and you know that the opposition has never held any rally without violence.

“I said I cannot joke with Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium. Since we have this intelligence, we will not allow it. Did anybody force us to give them before? Are we not the ones who gave them?

“Did they pay money? Go and see the place. I know they are happy because they know there is no way they can fill that stadium. Instead of them to say thank God for covering our shame.

“This election is going to be by mobilisation. It’s not like before when anybody will go and bring soldiers to carry election materials. Now, elections will be based on physical human beings. Votes must count now,” he added.

The governorship candidate of PDP, Sir Siminialayi Fubara, appealed to voters in the Degema locality to vote for him and all PDP candidates to win the forthcoming election.

UNIPORT won’t release varsity ground to Atiku for the campaign – Mgt

Meanwhile, management of the University of Port Harcourt said yesterday it had not authorised the use of any part of the institution’s environment for any political party activities, describing an online publication announcing such development as false and baseless.

Public Relations Officer of the university, Dr Sam Kpenu, urged the public to discountenance such publication, warning the originators of the falsehood to desist forthwith.

Kpenu said: “The management wishes to state that management has not authorised any political campaign rally at the University.

“That the university is not a political ground for political campaigns. And that it is not contemplating releasing its facility to the Atiku Campaign Council.

“The public is, therefore, called upon to discountenance this deliberate falsehood aimed at tarnishing the towering reputation of the University as it is simply a figment of the imagination of the author.”

He added that the development has officially been reported to law enforcement agencies for appropriate action.