A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and a member of the Media Advisory Committee of the Atiku/Okowa Campaign Organisation, Alhaji Yusuf Abubakar Dingyadi, has explained why his party could not hold presidential rallies in Rivers and Taraba states ahead of Saturday’s presidential and National Assembly (NASS) elections in the country.
Dingyadi, who is the senior special assistant on media and communications to the national chairman of PDP, said, “The PDP presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, could not hold rally in Jalingo, the Taraba State capital as scheduled due to unfavourable climatic condition that prevented his flight while the issue of security prevented the rally in Rivers.
“Taraba, just like Rivers, is a PDP State. We have a weather challenge in Taraba. All our team was on the ground, including some of us who are the operational team that had to travel by road the moment we finished the rally in Jigawa.
“We were in Jalingo, awaiting the arrival of Atiku Abubakar and other members of his team but unfortunately, they could not make it to Jalingo that day due to bad weather,” he said.
On Rivers’ rally, he said, “Just about two days to the scheduled rally in Port Harcourt, we had an intelligence report of an imminent attack on some of our political leaders and our supporters that would be coming from remote areas to grace the rally.
“Atiku has been saying that he cannot endanger any party member’s life or property because of his ambition. As a result, he talked with our officials on the ground, and going by an attack on our leader in that state, Senator Abiye Sekibo, he sought advice and was told to either shift the rally or allow it to continue at the grassroots which he obliged.
“Based on unguarded statements of Governor Nyesom Wike, the party resolved not to endanger anyone. So, suspending the rally in Rivers to prevent possible destruction of lives and property was one of the best decisions that have received sympathy and commendation from the good people of Rivers State.
“It was during that period that Wike ran to the court that the party should not suspend him because he was afraid. He forgot that he could not eat his cake and have it at the same time. We see him as someone who wants to create political instability and disunity in our party. Atiku will win Rivers State just as he is going to win Taraba and other states and FCT.”
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