The Kogi State Government has dismissed as “routine fiction”, claims by
the opposition People Democratic Party (PDP ) that the party was denied
the use of the Confluence Stadium for its presidential campaigns slated
for Monday 7th January, 2019.
Reacting to the claim in Lokoja, on
Thursday night, the Director General of Media and Strategy to the
Governor, Kingsley Fanwo said the Government of Kogi State knows when to
draw “partisan lines” and that the Stadium belongs to all Kogi people
regardless of political affiliations.
According to the Governor’s
spokesperson, PDP’s claim was capable of portraying the State
Government in bad light, urging the opposition party not to mislead the
public.
“The claim by the PDP spokesperson, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan
that the State Government denied the party of the use of the Confluence
Stadium for its Presidential Campaign is false, misleading and a
deliberate attempt at portraying the State Government in bad light.
“The
fact here is that the State Government had approved the use of the
Stadium and directed the Secretary to the State Government to
communicate same to the party. As I speak to you here, the DG of the PDP
Presidential Campaign Council in the State, Rt. Hon. Clarence Olafemi
is in possession of the approval letter.
“Mr Ologbondiyan‘s
allegation is an embarrassment to the Government and people of Kogi
State. I know he is an honourable man and that he will apologize to the
good people of his state for the false claims. To claim denial of the
use should ordinarily mean that their was an official communication to
the effect of the alleged denial.
“It is important to clarify
this to enlighten the public before they are misled again. We have a
good relationship with Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan who was a part of the
Inauguration Team of our Administration. I would have ordinarily
expected him to get across to us to know the true situation before
misrepresenting the facts of the matter to the general public.
“Governor
Yahaya Bello is an honourable man and a statesman who will never
involve himself in dirty politics. We wish the PDP a successful rally in
the State,” he noted.
He said Governor Bello was prepared to
guarantee the freedom of all parties to campaign in the state, urging
politicians to avoid fake news that could heat up the political
landscape.
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