Armed Soldiers Takeover Rivers Stadium

Ahead of the January 28, 2015 planned Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential rally in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, heavily fierce looking armed soldiers and policemen on Saturday took over the 40, 000 capacity Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium at Igwuruta-ali, Ikwerre local government area of the state.It was gathered that the soldiers had moved into the facility early on Saturday morning and kept vigil till dawn.The APC-led Rivers State government and the state PDP have been engaged in war of words over the planned use of the stadium by the opposition party in the state.It would be recalled that the state chairman of the PDP, Felix Obuah, had said that the state government turned down the request of the party to use the facility for its presidential candidate, President Goodluck Jonathan on Wednesday, January 28.Speaking on the issue, governorship candidate of the PDP, Nyesom Wike, at a meeting with the Goodluck-to-Goodluck Political pressure group in Port Harcourt, recently, assured that the APC used the same facility for theirs and therefore, the PDP will host President Jonathan there.The APC had used the facility to flag-off the party’s presidential campaign for the South-south earlier this month, even as it was used late last year to celebrate the anniversary of the Supreme Court judgment.Wike said: “The PDP presidential rally will hold at the Amiesimaka Stadium on Wednesday, January 28.“The APC held their own presidential campaign rally on January 6, 2015 and an earlier rally on October 25, 2014 in the same stadium.“Our presidential rally will hold at that stadium because it belongs to the people. It was built by tax payers’ money. We are working with all stakeholders to ensure that the right thing is done to move the nation forward.“We are committed to the peaceful use of the stadium for our presidential campaigns,” the state PDP governorship standard bearer said.But the state governor, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, at a rally for the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in Etche local government of the state explained that the PDP cannot use the stadium, saying it was under construction.