The Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, Uyo, Akwa Ibom was filled to capacity on Monday as the presidential candidate of the All Progressives congress, Bola Tinubu visited the state.
This is a South South State and home of the People’s Democratic Party which has Atiku Abubakar as its presidential candidate and Peter Obi’s supporters laying claim to the area, but it seems the APC has made incursion into the area.
The crowd was massive and bettered the campaign of Obi in the area recently.
It was a carnival-like campaign, as the state capital, Uyo was shut down with thousands of supporters trooping to the streets to welcome Tinubu.
The shout of Jagaban, Asiwaju rent the air. The huge crowd was more electrified when Tinubu made a grand entry into the stadium for the mega rally.
The APC had constituted a Central Planning Committee for the rally chaired by a former Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission, Obong Nsima Ekere, with Uwem Udoma, a former House of Assembly member, as the secretary.
The committee, which was saddled with the responsibility of organising and planning for a successful rally, had secured the 35,000-capacity Godswill Akpabio International Stadium as the venue of the rally.
Party stakeholders led by the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Okon Umana had earlier visited the Stadium to ensure that everything was in order for the rally, which was tagged, “the Mother of All Rallies.”
Umana was accompanied by the National Vice Chairman of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, Godswill Akpabio, a former Petroleum Minister, Don Etiebet and two national officers from the state.
Chairman of the Media and Publicity Sub-Committee, Edet Bassey Eyo said in Uyo on Sunday that arrangements had been concluded to receive the APC presidential candidate and his running mate to the state for the campaign rally.
He said: “The APC in Akwa Ibom is quite excited and prepared to receive our presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his running mate, Alhaji Kashim Shettima for the mother of rallies. We are ready, I must say. The Central Planning Committee for the rally chaired by His Excellency, Obong Nsima Ekere has done a great job. The committee has various subcommittees which are undertaking various aspects of the planning.
“As I speak, leaders of the party led by Obong Umana Okon Umana, Senator Godswill Akpabio, Chief Don Etiebet and national officers from the state had last Thursday inspected the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium.
“The stadium is wearing a new look. The seats have been dusted and the grasses trimmed. Even the tracks have been cleaned. The ambience of the stadium has been made befitting for our August visitor, Asiwaju Tinubu who is going to be our next president.
“Remember that the Akwa Ibom APC has been engulfed in crisis for about three years now but with the presidential aspiration of Asiwaju who is a rallying point for us in the party in Nigeria as a whole, we have decided to bury our hatchets and work to ensure he emerges the country’s president.”
