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For announcing a ban on its presidential rally billed for Abakalili, the Ebonyi State capital, on Monday, the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) yesterday asked President Goodluck Jonathan to call the governor of the state, Martins Elechi, to order.

The national chairman of the party, Ogbonnaya Onu, who stated this at a press conference in Abuja on Thursday, also denied Mr. Elechi’s allegation that he once planned to join the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The opposition party is planning to kick off its presidential campaign in Abakaliki on Monday. But Mr. Elechi, last Wednesday, in a special broadcast to the people of the state, accused the ANPP of planning to unleash violence in the state. He also said his government had stopped the ANPP from holding its rally in Abakaliki, saying the Peoples Democratic Party already had permission to hold a national flag day event in the town.

He said if the ANPP is allowed to hold its rally, it would overstretch the existing facilities in the town.

But Mr. Onu, a former governor of old Abia State, which the present Ebonyi State was part of, said Mr. Elechi had no powers to stop the rally of a political party.

“I wish to point out that Elechi has no right under the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to prevent any political party from holding a rally. It is the height of intolerance for him to seek to do so. No one can and should be allowed to be above the law or act in a way to disrespect our constitution,” Mr. Onu said.

“The president should, with a sense of urgency, act with speed to call the governor of Ebonyi State to order. The governor of Ebonyi State should be made to subject himself to both the letter and spirit of the constitution, which he swore to preserve, protect, and defend,” Mr. Onu said.

Saying Mr. Elechi’s pronouncement is “completely in bad faith, unfair, and totally unacceptable to our great party,” the ANPP boss also asked all law enforcement agencies to take due notice of the dangerous trend emanating from a serving governor.

He said there was no problem when a sister political party, the Congress for Progressive Change, kicked off its presidential campaign in Kaduna, the home state of the vice president, Namadi Sambo.

On Mr. Elechi’s allegation that he (Onu) is violent, the ANPP chairman expressed surprise that someone occupying such a high office as the governor could be involved in such ridiculous attempt to blackmail him.

“I feel happy that integrity is like good conscience, which can only be healed by the truth and nothing but the truth. As a decent, God-fearing democrat, I will not yield to the temptation to join issues with him.”

Mr. Onu, who contested the governorship election against Mr. Elechi in 2007 under the ANPP platform, stated that the people of Ebonyi State knew the circumstances surrounding the outcome of the poll.

“They know who won that election and they know those who stole their mandate, despite the outcome of the subsequent litigations in both the Election Petitions Tribunal and the Court of Appeal which sat in Enugu. I leave the inevitable verdict of history in that matter squarely in the hands of God, the ultimate judge in the affairs of all mortals,” he said.

Mr. Onu also denied the allegation made by the governor that he made overtures to join the PDP when Vincent Ogbulafor was its national chairman.

“As it is widely known, I do not subscribe to the idea of people moving from one party to another. I believe that there is honour in identifying with a political party of one’s conviction.

“Moving from a party in opposition to another in government solely for personal gain cannot advance the cause of democracy. I know and I am convinced that not too long from now, our party will be in government to render service to our people,” he said .