Delta Govt Faults Utomi’s Claims On Frustration Of Labour Party Rally

The Delta Sate Government has chided Labour Party chieftain, Professor Pat Utomi, over what it claimed his false and misleading claims that the government denied the party venue for its presidential campaign rally in the state. 

The Commissioner for Information, Mr Charles Aniagwu, at a news conference on Tuesday in Asaba said there was no record that Labour Party wrote to the state government for a venue for campaign and was denied, and challenged it to present the letter and the response from the State, denying them the use of a venue. 

The assertions by the Delta Government officials followed claims by Prof Utomi last Friday that the authorities in the state were frustrating the rally planned for the state.

Replying to the claim, Aniagwu said, “the Labour Party creates an impression that it is being oppressed across the length and breadth of this country in order to attract sympathy. 

“The Labour Party did not write to us as a government that it was going to have a rally in Delta. Somebody as highly placed as Prof. Pat Utomi went to town to allege that they have been prevented from campaigning in Delta. 

“I challenge them to show any application letter sent to the Secretary to the State Government and let them also show the reply from the SSG. 

“Somebody representing Prof. Utomi called me on Sunday morning ahead of their rally on Monday morning and I asked what were the issues? 

“He said he would be glad if I could give them the Arcade for their campaign. And, I said, you are having a campaign on Monday and you are making phone call to demand for a venue on Sunday?” 

The commissioner, who was flanked by Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr Olisa Ifeajika, said that the state government granted permission to the party for the rally and waived payment for the venue to demonstrate its democratic credentials. 

“We asked the Labour Party not to pay for the venue that we would take the responsibility for even the cleaning of the place after the event. 

“I challenge him to show us any letter of application for venue and let him also deny that it was not on Sunday morning that they spoke to me that they needed to campaign in Delta. 

“In fact, they even need to write a letter to commend us. If we prevented them, how did they now have access to use the Arcade? 

On his part, the Chief Press Secretary, Ifeajika also asserting that the Delta State government did not frustrate the Labour Party rally said that Prof. Utomi was alien to the politics of the state as he neither visited home nor knew his polling unit and Ward. 

He said that APC, the main opposition party in the state, flagged off campaign at Warri Township Stadium few weeks ago. 

“If the State Government is not allowing other parties access to venues, how come APC, the main opposition in this State used our stadium in Warri without hindrance and without restrictions. 

“Since after that flag off, their candidates have been going round Delta campaigning unrestrained in our schools and everywhere, and Utomi was somewhere telling lies. 

“The truth is that Utomi is an alien to Delta politics and for him to be lying shows that he doesn’t come home and doesn’t know what is happening in Delta. 

“Everyone in Delta and Nigeria know the type of man Senator Ifeanyi Okowa is. His personage is infectious; everybody knows that his other name is humility, and he is very tolerant,” he said in disclaiming claims that the Delta Government frustrated the Labour Party rally in the state.

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