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APC spokesman, Lanre Isa-Onilu
The All Progressives Congress has reacted to claims by the Peoples Democratic Party which suggestthat the APC denied the PDP access to a rally ground in Abuja.
This was disclosed on Saturday by APCspokesman, Mr Lanre Isa-Onilu.
Mr Isa-Onilu said the APC does not own the Abuja venue, “so there is no way we could have denied them access to a place we don’t own and we don’t have control over”.
“If there is any truth to what the PDP has said, it is not APC and it is not our policy,” he said.
The PDP had earlier claimed that the APC-led Federal Governmentdenied it access to a venue in Abuja where the party’s campaign was scheduled to hold on Saturday, February 9.
A spokesman of the PDP, Kola Ologbondiyan, said that in spite of the fact that the PDP had made payments to the authorities and obtained official approval to host the mega rally at the Old Parade Ground, Garki, Abuja, the party was denied access.
Ologbondiyan also claimed that the party had earlier scheduled its Lagos Mega Rally for the Tafawa Balewa Square on Saturday until “the Buhari Presidency and the APC came up with the same date forcing our campaign to opt for Abuja”.
The PDP held that the setbacks rather than deterring Nigerians from their determination to vote on February 16, has only spurred more compatriots to support its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.
Following the development, the PDP has therefore postponed its rally in Abuja.
Ologbondiyan apologised for the inconveniences which the postponement of the rally willcause party supporters.
“The PDP appreciates the commitment of Nigerians, particularly, those who have already converged in Abuja for this mega rally.
“While we regret the inconveniences caused by the insensitive action of the Buhari Presidency and APC, we wish to inform that a rescheduled date for the rally will be communicated soon,” the PDP spokesman said.
•Sourced from a Channels TV report