Umahi Bars APC Faction from Use of Stadium for Rally

Benjamin Nworie in Abakaliki

Ebonyi State Government Thursday urged the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state to look elsewhere for its proposed rally next Saturday, saying the Abakaliki Township Stadium is still undergoing reconstruction and renovation.

A faction of the APC in the state had announced that it would hold mega rally to draw membership to the party at the Pa Ngele Oruta Abakaliki Township stadium ahead of the 2019 general election.

The governor, who spoke through his Chief Press Secretary, Emmanuel Uzor, announced that the stadium was undergoing serious reconstruction, including asphalting and illumination of floodlight.

Uzor noted that Umahi has brought in investors from China to upgrade the stadium to International standard and that any political activity in the place would jeopardise the work currently ongoing at the stadium.

The CPS said: “Abakaliki Township stadium, now Pa Ngele Oruta stadium, as you all know, has been under construction, and as I am talking to you the asphalt at the back of the stadium is ongoing and the illumination of the flood light and the popular stand is ongoing.

“The state government and the governor just came back from China, where he brought some investors to look into the stadium and know how they can upgrade it to International standard.

“Any political activity in that place especially by a particular party that is divided along three different strange lines will jeopardise the construction work in the stadium.

“We believe in accommodating all the different voices especially different parties in the state. We don’t want to stifle any opposition, mostly any opposition with credible integrity that wants to do anything is free to do it but as for the stadium, for some time now, even the state government has not done anything in it because of the work going on there.”