SaharaReporters had reported that double explosions rocked the venue of the APC governorship rally in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital.
The Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, has held the opposition party, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) for the Port Harcourt explosion.
SaharaReporters had reported that double explosions rocked the venue of the APC governorship rally in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital.
SaharaReporters learnt that at least three persons were injured while no death had been confirmed yet as of the time of filing this report.
Earlier on Thursday, the APC and its rival party, PDP had also traded words over alleged denial of use of their campaign venue in the Etche Local Government Area of the state.
While the APC mocked the PDP-led government for allegedly sealing off its proposed campaign venue for fear of defeat, the PDP, on its part, lambasted the governorship candidate of the APC in the state, Tonye Cole, saying Rivers people could not rely on his assumed leadership.
Reacting to the incident, Wike exonerated his government and his party from the explosion.
While speaking at the rally of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Oyigbo Local Government Area of the state on Friday, He accused the APC of renting the venue from one faction of the community, prompting a clash with another interest group.
“They went to Etche Tipper Park, one place and held the rally, did anybody stop them? They went to Ikwerre Local Government and held their rally, did anybody stop them?” he asked.
“Why will it now be our business when they go to Rumuwoji playground – a small playground – to go and do rally? They went and paid money when they know the community is in fraction. They now said it is PDP.
“We didn’t do anything when you went to Etche, we didn’t do anything when you went to Ikwerre; it is in Port Harcourt. Does it make sense? If you know you are not prepared for election, go home and rest. We are prepared for the election, and we know we are going to win this election.”
Governor Wike also threatened to halt the PDP Presidential Campaign Council's use of a stadium if the State Director General, Dr. Abiye Sekibo, continued to flout protocol.
According to him, the PDP PCC has been granted permission to use the Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium in the state for the campaign of the party's presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.
He did, however, explain that the approval granted at no cost to the Presidential Campaign Council was that the stadium would be accessible to the council 48 hours before the presidential campaign begins on February 11, 2023.
The governor specifically warned Sekibo that he had no right to take possession of the stadium one month before the scheduled event.
He added, “Let me also use this opportunity to warn Abiye Sekibo, we have made approval for your presidential candidate to use Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium, February 11th. You have no right to begin to go to the stadium now. We cannot give you access to the stadium now. We can only give you access to the stadium two days to the occasion for you to prepare.
“Nobody gave you one month. So, if you dare it again, to go and force yourself into the stadium, I will cancel the approval with immediate effect. Dare it again, I will cancel it. Heaven will not fall. In fact, if heaven falls now, we will be happy that it was in our time heaven came down.”