An All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Tonye Cole has rejected Executive Order 21 initiated by the Governor of Rivers state, Nyesom Wike.
OsunDaily News recalls that Wike had earlier initiated Executive Order 21 which prohibits political parties from holding campaigns and rallies using any public facilities without the payment of N5 million security fee.
Reacting to the policy, Cole insisted that it was obnoxious and unacceptable.
In a statement signed by Barr Sogbeye Eli, spokesman of Tonye Cole Campaign Organization, the APC governorship candidate said the Wike cannot silence political parties before the presidential campaign.
Cole argued that the order was orchestrated to stifle the opposition.
He said, “visible in the recent signing into law Executive Order 21, which prohibits the use of public schools, built by taxpayers’ money of Rivers people, for political parties’ events without the prior approval of the state ministry of education (not the school authority vested with the authority to manage the facilities) and the payment of an obscene nonrefundable (sic) amount of N5 Million.
“We state unequivocally that Executive Order 21 is deliberately being orchestrated and part of the plot by the Governor to stifle competition from other political parties.
“It’s a manifestation of his penchant to brutally crush and suppress opposition in a multi-party democracy instead of allowing citizens to exercise their freedom of choice as enshrined in the Constitution. We are therefore not surprised that Wike would tow this path in his resolve to impose a lackey on Rivers State as his successor in office”.
Speaking further, the campaign organization, vowed that despite the order they would campaign across the length and breadth of Rivers State as provided under the Constitution and as prescribed by law.
This article was originally published on OsunDaily News
