Ebonyi State Governor, Dave Umahi, yesterday warned a faction of the state’s All Progressives Congress (APC) against breach of the peace in the area.
He also warned the faction against using Pa Ngele Oruta Abakaliki Township Stadium for its rally today (Saturday), saying the facility is the state not a Federal Government’s property.
The governor, however, said he had approved the stadium for a mega rally by another faction of the party with its own chairman as Dr. Sylvester Nwambe for President Muhammadu Buhari on August 11.
The rally tagged “South- East for Buhari”, (SEB) has the backing of Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha. A faction of the party in the state led by Minister of Science and Technology, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, with Eze Nwachukwu as its chairman had insisted that it must use the stadium today for a rally to receive some persons into the party and allow aspirants declare for governorship race in 2019. But reacting to this, Umahi said he did not approve the Onu faction’s rally. Addressing journalists in Abakaliki, on the alleged threat that it must use the stadium whether it is approved or not, Umahi said: “The stadium is not Federal Government property or APC property. In fact, Federal Government property is not APC property.
“The Pa Ngele Oruta Abakaliki township stadium. The Federal Government or APC did not put one kobo in the renovation work that is ongoing there. “However, on July 20, I was already in Dubai on a working visit when a section or faction of APC in the state wrote a letter requesting for the use of the stadium to do a rally for the President. I immediately approved it and passed it back to state and which I copied security chiefs. “
Then on my return on August 1, I got another letter dated July 30, saying they have cancelled it and moved it to August 11. I said okay and immediately put on a Neighbourhood Security Watch recruitment for Friday and Saturday. If it is not completed, it will be on Monday.
“Unknown to me, there is another faction of the APC that wrote for the use of the stadium but they didn’t write to me. They wrote to Commissioner for Youth and Sports that they want to the stadium. I was not aware of this faction, so I had to deal with what was before me. “If they are holding two rallies, they have to find another venue for tomorrow because the stadium is already engaged. I have complained to security chiefs to warn the man they call Eze, factional Chairman of the APC and Chika Nwoba, they should be warned. They should not use their mouth to ignite crisis and violence in the state. “In their meetings and social media, Chika Nwoba, has been boasting that they will over run the stadium tomorrow but if they are man enough, let them come near the stadium tomorrow. I am not saying enter but let them come near it tomorrow and then they will understand who is the owner of the stadium.
“On a more serious note, politics is not all about falsehood and using your mouth to bring crisis and violence upon the people. I have never castigated the President or any of their people. So, I will not entertain them coming to the stadium, driving on a good road, drinking good water and then mount the stadium and begin to castigate me. “I am happy Federal Government is preaching against hate speeches and I am against hate speeches. So, they shouldn’t try to bring hate speeches for Ebonyi State.”