Nobody Applied For Use of Gowon Stadium For Pro-Tinubu Rally – Rivers Govt

The Rivers State government has declared that there was no application for the use of Yakubu Gowon Stadium, Port Harcourt, for the inauguration of local governments and ward executives of the Renewed Hope Ambassadors.

Coordinator of the Renewed Hope Ambassadors in the state, Ambassador Desmond Akawor, had while addressing the rally at Captain Elechi Amadi Polytechnic, Port Harcourt, insisted that the state government denied them access to the stadium.

Also, in his remarks, the FCT minister, Chief Nyesom Wike, said they would use force to gain entry into the Yakubu Gowon Stadium, if denied access next time.

But, addressing journalists during an inspection visit to the stadium yesterday, the coordinating commissioner for Sports, Barrister Christopher Green, said the stadium, which is under reconstruction, is about 55 percent completed.

Green said, “The kind of programme you are talking about is a programme that all of us are interested in. So, if you want to use this place, it cannot contain the number of persons that support the president himself, from His Excellency, the governor.

“So, if you want to use any place, the best place to use is Adokiye Amesiamaka Stadium, where everybody uses now. It is open for everyone. We are not the type that stops people from using our facilities.

“Of course, if we stop you from using this facility, why are we allowing you to use the Elechi Amadi Polytechnic? It is government facility; it is open for everybody. It is not true that anybody applied and it was rejected.

“Look around, you can see that the place, Yakubu Gowon Stadium, is under reconstruction. They are 55 percent done already.”