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The Government of Delta State has come out to claim that it never denied the Labour Party (LP) venue for its presidential campaign rally in the state.
This is coming following viral reports in a section of the media that the People’s Democratic Party (PDP)-led state government had blocked all possible avenues for the LP and its presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi to hold the rally.
Commissioner for Information in the state, Mr. Charles Aniagwu who reacted to the media report in a statement issued in Asaba, said LP never applied officially for any venue.
He said a representative of the party only spoke to him via telephone call on Sunday (8/1/2023) morning and made demand to make use of the Arcade in Asaba.
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According to him, the state government immediately within three minutes reached out to the Oshimili South Local Government Council and secured a waiver of all formalities, and made the Arcade available for LP to hold its presidential rally.
Aniagwu further said to demonstrate the state’s democratic credentials and tolerance for opposition, it graciously waived the amount payable for the venue.
He urged the party to carry on its rally peacefully in line with laid down rules and regulations.
Meanwhile, a source within LP leadership in the state confided in our correspondent that they went through a lot to have the place secured for the rally billed for Monday, January 9, 2023.
The source said it took the intervention of a senior staff of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) who prevailed on the state government to make the venue available.
‘Don’t mind them, they did not want us to use it if not for the intervention of a senior staff of INEC who told them that in this time and age they were still involved in such crude means of stifling opposition political parties,’ the source said.
The Eastern Updates reports that the campaigns will go on today as planned.
