Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State has defended his government’s decision not to approve the use of Samuel Ogbemudia stadium for the Labour Party presidential campaign rally.
Peter Obi, LP presidential candidate, held a campaign rally on Friday in Benin, Edo state capital.
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Before the campaign rally, supporters of Obi had criticised Edo state government for declining the request of the LP to use the stadium.
Afterwards, the venue of the rally was moved to the Baptist convention ground, Benin.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today, Obaseki said LP sent in a request to use the stadium late. He said the government received notice 24 hours to the event.
“The tracks for that stadium are still under warranty. The pitch has to be maintained in a certain mold. So it’s not just another facility you can use without preparing.
“There are several venues in Benin for rallies. I heard that they applied on Wednesday night to hold a rally at the Samuel Ogbemudia stadium on Friday morning, giving us one-day notice.
“The tracks of that stadium are still under warranty. The pitch has to be maintained in a certain mode. It is not just another facility that you can blow in and use without preparing.
“If they knew that they wanted to hold a rally on Friday, why couldn’t they give more time and notice, so that we give them the conditions under which they can use the pitch?
“The same thing we did to the PDP when they wanted to use the pitch. The only reason we allowed the PDP rally was that it was used as an opportunity to commission the facility. Otherwise, most other rallies are held in other large grounds around the city.
“I expected more from the LP. I thought they were more serious. You can’t be planning for a rally on Friday and be giving less than 24 hours notice,” he said.
