Politics

PDP campaign: Why Atiku cancelled Rivers rally

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), on Tuesday, said it cancelled its planned presidential campaign rally in Rivers State due to rising insecurity in the state.

The spokesman of the PDP Presidential Campaign Council, Charles Aniagwu, disclosed this while speaking on AIT programme, Kakaaki.

Aniagwu said the PDP opted out of the rally because the party’s presidential candidate and his running mate, Atiku Abubakar and Ifeanyi Okowa, believe that their ambition was not worth the blood of any Nigerian.

He accused Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, of setting booby traps and mines for Atiku’s supporters in the state, adding that Nigerians didn’t witness half of what the governor is doing in Rivers during the military era in the country.

He said the PDP’s selling point in the election is the abysmal performance of the APC, stressing that PDP would sweep virtually all the strongholds of the APC in the country.

“Is it not preposterous that Wike who claimed APC had cancer and PDP malaria that was treatable and now turned around to support the same Tinubu and APC he once denigrated? That tells you the character of the man he is.

“Atiku has examined the whole scenario playing out in Rivers State, yes he may have enough policemen to secure him, his running mate, Dr Ifeanyi Okowa and indeed some leaders of the party in Rivers, but will it be possible to provide enough security for the massive supporters that would come to the stadium that was approved, cancelled and re-approved?

“So like Jonathan said in 2015 when he said that his ambition is not worth the blood of any Nigerian, the presidential candidate of the PDP and his running mate believe that their ambition is not worth the blood of any Nigerian and that they would not want to sacrifice any Nigerian on the altar of wanting to be president.

“We will device means of talking to our brothers and sisters in Rivers because we believe that Rivers state is still largely PDP and that they will vote for Atiku-Okowa and one way or the other we will reach out to them and talk to them but having to organise a rally where anybody will even have to lose his life is not something we would want to undertake.

“As Nigerians, everybody knows that the conduct of the Rivers Governor in the whole process has not demonstrated statesmanship.

“He is a member of our party and we have accorded him the respect we believe he deserves but you know that he has reciprocated that by way of his comments, actions and Nigerians must be weary of this kind of conduct.

“For us, our determination is to bring everybody together in this country and Atiku and Okowa are ever determined to do that.

“Atiku and Okowa are ready to carry everybody along when they win including Nyesom Wike irrespective of the attacks and so let no one think that Wike will be in trouble if Atiku wins.

“Wike will not be in any trouble because that is not on the agenda of Atiku. Atiku is ready to recover our country and if Wike has any role to play in helping to get our country function effectively, we will do that,” Aniagwu stated.

He said the safety of individuals who comes to the party’s rally was important hence having seen the dangers ahead the party would not subject its members to such dangers.

“We believe that by the grace of God Atiku-Okowa will not only win Rivers but they will majority of votes in this election and at the same time garner 25 per cent in 26 states and the FCT.

“From the day Atiku-Okowa is pronounced winners they will start the process of rebuilding this country,” Aniagwu added.

The Star