Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has accused the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led Federal Government of denying its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, of campaign rally venue in Kaduna State.
The campaign rally was originally scheduled to hold at the prestigious Ahmadu Bello Stadium (ABS), but few hours to the event, the approved application was withdrawn.
The state PDP Chairman and Chairman, PDP State Chairmen Forum, Felix Hassan Hyat, in a statement, said the Federal Government through the minister of sports denied the party use of the facility on the excuse that the stadium was under renovation.
Hyat, however, said Governor Nasir El-Rufai intervened and provided an alternative venue at Ranchers Bees, the township stadium.
Speaking at the rally, the Waziri Adamawa thanked the people of Kaduna for giving him the highest number of votes in 2019 and promised to take issues concerning Kaduna seriously if elected.
“Let me thank you for your support in 2019. You gave me the highest number of votes in 2019 and I believe you will do so this time around. I have come here on behalf of PDP to tell you If you vote for us, we will end insecurity in Kaduna. We will revive the industries in Kaduna in partnership with the private sector of Kaduna.”
The vice presidential candidate of the party, Governor Ifeanyichukwu Okowa, said the people of southern Nigeria are ready to vote for PDP and Atiku in 2023 following the success of the party in the recent gubernatorial election in Osun.
“I thank God for the life of Atiku who has a solution to the problem we have in Nigeria. With Atiku as president, we should not go to bed hungry and He is ready to end insecurity in northern Nigeria.
“Those of us in the South South, South East, South West are ready to vote Atiku and the PDP. When we went to Osun, they said we wouldn’t win but we went there and we won in the home state of the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate. I’m happy with what I have seen here and I thank you for your support,” Okowa said.
Director General of the Atiku’s PPCO, Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal of Sokoto State said efforts to throw a spanner in PDP’s campaign will fail.
“They do not want us to continue with our rallies because they are not prepared. They haven’t constituted their campaign council and so, they want to drag us back but we are moving on with our campaign.
“The people of Kaduna have seen and felt the negative impact of the APC and when Atiku gets into power by next year, all the factories will return by God’s grace.
“His administration will ensure we invigorate our economy to have jobs and better life. I urge the people of Kaduna to come out in their millions to vote in February 2023.
The party’s National Chairman, Iyiocha Ayu, said despite being denied the proposed venue for the rally, the PDP has shown that if rallies were held on the road, they would always be successful.
“When they go low, we go high. they wanted to stop this rally, but they can’t. Whether they give us the venue or not, we will do our rally on the road and win. APC has failed. They don’t want us to recover this country and win. Let nobody deceive himself that we are going to lose. We are united and will win all our elections in Kaduna.”
Reacting on his Twitter handle to reports of an attack on PDP members by suspected APC thugs at the rally, Atiku urged President Buhari to call on all parties to call their supporters and members to order and to ensure campaigns, just as with the elections, are kept free, fair and safe.
First published in The Sun