President Muhammadu Buhari will, on Friday, flag off his campaign for second term bid in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State capital.
His Senior Special Assistant on National Assembly Matters (Senate), Ita Enang, made the disclosure, on Monday, while briefing newsmen in Uyo.
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Enang said the president would be in the state with the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Adams Oshiomhole, and national leaders of the party.
He said the party would use the opportunity to formally present the party’s flag to APC gubernatorial candidates of Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Rivers and Delta, respectively.
“President Muhammadu Buhari and 2019 Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress will be in Akwa Ibom on December 28, to flag off the 2019 campaign of the APC.
“He will be coming with the National Chairman and the national leaders of the party as well as the sitting governors and other governorship candidates of the party.
“He will be here to formally launch his campaign and flag off the 2019 presidential election campaign,” Enang said.
According to him, the campaign will kick off in Akwa Ibom because the state has accepted the president fully and the state is ripe for harvest by the party.
The presidential aide also revealed that the party has requested permission from the state government to use the Akpabio International Stadium.
The Akwa Ibom state government has approved the use of the stadium, the Commissioner for Youths and Sports, Monday Uko, has said.
Uko told newsmen in Uyo, on Monday, that the approval became necessary following the decision by Julius Berger Plc to recall its staff from their scheduled holiday.
“Following a decision by Julius Berger Plc to recall their staff from their scheduled holiday, the Akwa Ibom state government approved the use of the Nest of Champions Stadium, Uyo, for President Muhammadu Buhari’s rally on December 28,” the commissioner said.
Uko added that all the terms stipulated by government for the use of the facility would be enforced. He said the organisers of the rally were expected to liaise with the stadium management for further details.
The state government had, on December 23, issued a statement that it would not approve the use of the stadium for the presidential rally due to the Nigeria Premier League matches billed to be played at the stadium, when the competition begins next year.
“It is public facility, a collective heritage of the Akwa Ibom people; Buhari is the president of Nigeria, and nobody can restraint him from the use of certain facility anywhere in the country.
“The president has been fair and kind to Akwa Ibom people,” Enang said.