Published
on January 8, 2023
Controversy over the use of Ribadu Square as the venue of the presidential campaign of the All Progressives Congress (APC) scheduled for Monday, January 9, has been rested.
The APC and Governor Ahmadu Fintiri resolved the issue on Saturday, following a reapplication for the venue and reapproval by the governor.
There was controversy earlier in the week when the management of the Ribadu Square rejected an application for the venue made by the state chapter of the APC for the use of the venue on January 9 for the flag-off of the governorship campaign of the party’s flag bearer, Senator Aishatu Ahmed Binani.
The management of the Square, which had earlier approved January 18 for the APC campaign council, told the Binani camp that following an ongoing renovation, the venue would not be ready for the campaign rally.
Supporters of the APC in Yola and Abuja, however, rejected the explanation, saying the state government was behind the rejection.
A letter from the Government House, which DRILLOGIST, obtained Saturday night, however, indicated that the APC campaign council had reapplied for Ribadu Square, shifting its campaign to January 9 and that the new date had been granted.
The letter, addressed to the Adamawa State Coordinator of the state APC Presidential Campaign Council, Martins Babale, and signed by the Chief of Staff to Governor Fintiri, Professor Maxwell Gidado, said Babale’s request to Fintiri, dated January 6, 2023, had been acted upon.
The letter from Gidado to Babale reads: “You will recall that an earlier approval had been given to the APC Presidential Campaign Council to hold its presidential flag-off campaign from 15th-18th January 2023.
“However, following the change of date of your Presidential campaign in Yola from 15th to 9th of January, 2023, I am directed to grant you approval for the use of Mahmud Ribadu Square for your national campaign on 7th-9th January 2023 accordingly.”
