Tinubu makes U-turn, shifted Imo, Anambra rally from Monday

Ilesanmi AdekanbiNovember 6, 2022

2 minutes read

The Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu has shifted his campaign to Imo and Anambra States from Monday.

In the previous timetable, Tinubu’s campaign and zonal stakeholders’ meeting earlier scheduled to hold in Imo State on Monday, November 21, was shifted to Tuesday.

Anambra’s rally slated for Monday, January 30, was also moved to Tuesday according to the adjusted presidential campaign timetable, which was released by the campaign council on Friday night.

Recall that the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) had mandatory sit-at-home orders for all South East zone until the release of its supreme leader, Nnamdi Kanu.

The separatist group introduced the sit-at-home order in August 2021 to protest and demand the release of its supreme leader, Nnamdi Kanu, who is still standing trial for treason and terrorism charges.

Although no official reason for the Tinubu campaign was given.

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A source in the campaign council said the party earlier did not consider that “Monday is a dreaded period” for anybody to go out in some areas of the South-East.

The source said, “If you drive out anyhow in the South-East on a Monday, it is at owner’s risk. The South-East is not a place where you can just veer into and gather people in the name of politics.

“So, we have to make that necessary amendment in dates, not necessarily because of possible confrontation, but to make people willing to troop out for the rallies.”

But the Chief Spokesman of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, Festus Keyamo said that the date change has nothing to do with Eastern Security Network or IPOB.

“As the ruling party, our plan is to cover the entire country. We should not be seen as giving oxygen to non-state actors,” he stated.

On whether the APC is dodging IPOB by shifting their rallies from the Mondays that were earlier pencilled down, Keyamo disclosed that the allegation was far from the truth.

The Minister of State for Labour maintained that the timetable was a working draft and not cast in gold.

He said, “That is not true. We are not running away from anybody or group. As I earlier told you, the timetable is just a working document that can be amended any time.”