The Kogi State chapter of the Labour Party has revealed that it has secured an alternative venue for the party’s presidential rally set to hold in the state today after the state government had halted its initial planned venue.
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Recall that the Kogi Chairman of the Labour Party, Suleiman Abdul Ahmed, on Monday, raised an alarm that Governor Yahaya Bello‘s government denied the party access to the Lokoja Confluence Stadium for its campaign rally.
Ahmed, while addressing newsmen at the state capital yesterday, said the party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and his running mate, Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed, are expected in the state on Tuesday for the presidential campaign.
The party chieftain, however, lamented that on several occasions, it had written to Kogi State Government for the venue but was turned down at the last minute. Ahmed said despite the frustration from the state government, the party remains resolute in ensuring that the campaign holds as planned. He noted that Bello’s government started the deliberate frustration after it increased the fees for the use of the venue from N250,000 to N1.5m.
According to him, the Labour Party in the state was prepared to pay the outrageous amount, but the government refused to grant permits for the use of the stadium at the dying minute. In a subsequent comment, the Kogi Labour Party Chairman assured that an alternative venue with wider space had been secured for the campaign rally, disclosing that party supporters and loyalists from the 21 Local Government Areas have been mobilized for the programme.
“Our right to the use of the venue has been denied and infringed on by the government in power without any official reasons, but as a popular party in the state, we are not deterred by this fragrant abuse of power. If those in power today, were given the same treatment when they were seeking election in the state during the previous administration, they wouldn’t have been in power today,” Ahmed noted.
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Ahmed also boasts that the party’s presidential candidate will rebuild Nigeria if elected. He stressed that it is an act of cowardice for the ruling party to frustrate the opposition, adding, “In Ankpa federal constituency, comprising Omala, Ankpa and Olamaboro LGAs, the posters of labour party candidates have been destroyed completely by thugs. It’s a lamentable situation, but we are not deterred because our victory is assured, and we have the people firmly behind us to gain victory over our opponents. “Support groups and lovers of the presidential candidate are enjoined to file out in their numbers to receive their beloved presidential candidate Dr Peter Obi who has the ‘big’ political clout and growing popularity among Nigerians across the political divide to lead Nigeria from woes to glory and with the sustained goodwill of the entire country, Obi will rebuild Nigeria of our collective dream.”
The chairman assured party members that all preparations for the event had been put in place as he called on party members and supporters across the state to turn out in their numbers to receive the campaign train.
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All candidates contesting various positions, the National Party Chairman, Julius Abure, and the General Secretary Alh. Umar Farouk Ibrahim, other officials, and party bigwigs are among those expected to address the rally today.
