APC, PDP Supporters War Over Campaign Venue In Yola

The supporters of the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Aishatu Binani, and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) flagbearer, Ahmadu Fintiri in the Adamawa State 2023 election are currently in a war of words over the use of a campaign venue.

According to DAILY POST, the APC supporters attacked the administration of Fintiri for rejecting their application for the usage of Mahmud Ribadu Square in Yola, popularly known as Ribadu Square, for its governorship campaign flag-off.

Ribadu Square is said to be the choice of many groups and political parties organizing rallies and the APC supporters had applied to the management to use the venue for its governorship campaign kickoff rally on the 9th of January.

However, the management replied to APC saying the venue is unavailable following the ongoing renovation of the event center which would also extend to the date of the campaign.

Unsatisfied with the response, Binani supporters took to social media to vent their anger while describing the action of the state government as political marginalization.

One of the supporters who spoke to the aforementioned platform said: “It will amount to a huge travesty for the state government to willfully deny our gubernatorial hopeful her right to use Ribadu Square for her campaign flag off. Such crude abuse of power is indicative of the mindset of Governor Fintiri to use state might to crush opposition in the state.”

Amidst the outrage from the supporters, Governor Ahmadu Fintiri’s Press Secretary, Humwashi Wonosikou, in a statement on Tuesday said the government had approved Mahmud Ribadu Square to the national campaign team of the APC for its Presidential campaign rally in Yola on the 18th of January, 2023.

He confirmed that the event center has been undergoing renovation and contractors are billed to return to the site on the proposed date of the APC gubernatorial rally.

“Every Adamawa resident can attest to the fact that Ribadu Square is undergoing renovation and the contractors are billed to return to the site on the 7th of January, 2023 to complete work before the APC Presidential campaign after the Christmas and New Year break to make the venue most befitting for Mr President (who is scheduled to be in Yola for the APC Presidential campaign).

“It is not in our character to deny any party the use of Mahmud Ribadu Square and APC was therefore asked to pick another date after the 18th of January for its campaign flag off, but instead the APC chose to sensationalize the whole thing for sympathy shopping which is distasteful.”