Edo State Government and the state chapter of Labour Party (LP) yesterday disagreed on last Friday’s alleged refusal of the Governor Godwin Obaseki administration to disallow LP presidential candidate, Peter Obi, from campaigning at Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium and other expansive facilities, thereby opting for Baptist Convention Centre on TV Road, Benin.
LP Publicity Secretary in Edo, Sam Oroupa, accused Obaseki of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of attempting to frustrate Obi and his supporters in Edo, thereby denying them of the public facilities they earlier applied to use and playing politics with the sensitive matter.
Commissioner for Communication and Orientation Chris Nehikhare, however, described LP’s allegations as misleading, claiming that political rallies were not permitted at Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, but PDP presidential candidate Alhaji Atiku Abubakar used the main bowl of the same stadium on October 22 for his campaign.
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Nehikhare said: “LP’s letter of request for the use of Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium was addressed to the stadium’s managers on November 8 and received at 1:30 pm on the same day.
“Assuming the stadium permitted the hosting of political rallies, three days’ notice to have the stadium facilities prepared and ready for a political event is not only an arduous task, but also almost an impossible one, considering the time and special care required for the protection of such facility as the tartan athletics track.
“Some of the facilities at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium are under warranty, with stringent handling conditions demanded to guarantee the validity of the warranty.
“As we all know, political rallies are usually very rowdy, with the attendant difficulty of crowd control, and therefore require the timely expression of interest for the use of such venues housing delicate facilities. The appropriate approach would have been to avail the stadium managers enough latitude of time to guarantee adequate protection of facilities.
“Let me also allay the misconception, considering the bias for the stadium managers to have granted permission for the PDP presidential rally to hold at the venue. Apart from ample time in requesting and preparing the venue for use, the occasion was the official inauguration of the newly-renovated stadium.”