‘He Has Misused His Powers’ – Atiku Campaign Knocks Wike Over Sealed Secretariat

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential Campaign Council has reacted to the sealing of its candidate, Atiku Abubakar’s, campaign secretariat in Rivers State.

WITHIN NIGERIA previously reported that River State Governor Nyesom Wike used a court order to seal off Atiku Abubakar’s campaign office in GRA Port Harcourt on Friday.

According to Wike’s spokesman, Kelvin Ebiri, the campaign office was sealed in accordance with his principal’s directive that campaign offices not be located in residential areas.

In an interview with PUNCH, the spokesman for the PCC in Rivers State, Leloonu Nwibubassa, said Wike’s action was an attempt to suppress and oppress other political rivals.

The sealing of the campaign office was described by Leloonu as an act of lawlessness, emphasizing Wike’s abuse of power as governor of the state.

The State PDP PCC spokesman added that it was unfortunate that Wike did not appreciate what he had in the current democracy, having been a two-time chairman of a local government in 1999 and also becoming a Chief of Staff.

He said: 

It is very unfortunate and I think that all civil society groups, the international community, all lovers of democracy all over the world must understand that Governor Wike has misused his powers as governor.

Not just to suppress and oppress, but to intimidate the people of Rivers State from expressing their free will to support any candidate of their choice or to be a member of any party of their choice, as expressly guaranteed in the grand norms of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

We have condemned it as an act of lawlessness by the governor.

By closing down the political space in Rivers State; by intimidating and suppressing voices that are in opposition to his own bidding, Governor Wike is exalting himself to become the leader of all anti-democratic forces in Nigeria militating against the grand norms of the Federal Republic of Nigeria that guarantee freedom of association, freedom of lawful and peaceful assembly.

Everything about that secretariat and campaign office, every requirement has been made.

So the governor is left with no excuse that the action that he has taken is completely outside the law. It is vindictive. It is against the right of the people.