By Etim Ekpimah
The Akwa Ibom State Government has denied the Buhari Friends
Organisation Network the venue where it wanted to use to address its members
after a South-South zonal rally against corruption.
The National Coordinator of the group, Athanasius Okon, said
on Saturday that the organisation decided to begin the programme from the Unity
Park in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital, since it is the group’s South-South
zonal headquarters.
According to him, government officials asked the group to
write a letter to the permanent secretary in charge of the facility for
permission to use the venue, which they did.
He noted that there was nothing they did not do, as
law-abiding citizens, to secure the venue.
“We held an event in this park before. We paid money then as
well as for this event. We sent a letter to the governor of the state, Mr. Udom
Emmanuel, inviting him as a guest of honour. We did not let the government out
of the arrangement.
“The officials asked us to write a letter to the Permanent
Secretary for permission and we did. We followed due process. They were trying
to play politics by telling us to come back in the guise that the commissioner
was not around.
“These were the same people in the office that asked us to
write a letter to the permanent secretary.
“Our officials paid money without mentioning BFON and they
gave us receipt immediately,” he said.
The state government had in January denied the All
Progressives Congress the Uyo Township Stadium for the hosting of a
presidential rally.
The state Publicity Secretary of APC and former Commissioner
for Information, Mr. Ita Awak, said it was the development that made the party
to hold the presidential rally at Asan Ibibio.
Culled from The Punch
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