Enugu State Governor, Peter Mbah, has denied allegations that he ordered the withdrawal of a private venue for a town hall meeting scheduled to feature Nigeria Democratic Congress presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and his running mate, Rabiu Kwankwaso, in Enugu.

The governor, in a statement posted on his X account on Wednesday, described the allegation as false, saying he had no involvement in the decision to deny the organisers the use of the facility.

“My attention has just been drawn to a video circulating on some social media platforms, alleging that I gave an order denying a political party use of a private facility for their townhall event. This is preposterous and utter falsehood, because I did not,” Mbah wrote.

He accused the opposition of attempting to attract public attention through the allegation, warning that freedom of expression did not extend to defamation.

“This is shameful and reveals a desperate pattern adopted by the opposition to attract attention. There’s no doubt that democracy guarantees freedom of expression. It should be noted, however, that it does not grant anyone the right to defamation,” he said.

Mbah added that legal avenues were available to those seeking redress and warned against crossing what he described as red lines.

The governor’s Senior Special Assistant, Dan Nwomeh, also defended him, questioning why Mbah should be held responsible for the rental of a privately owned facility.

“What has Governor Mbah got to do with the rental of a privately owned facility? It appears some people on this app get a kick out of blaming Governor Mbah for just about everything,” Nwomeh wrote on X.

He said the governor remained focused on delivering on his promises and advancing the state’s development, adding that the campaign period had not begun.

The controversy followed the withdrawal of the Amadeo Event Centre in Enugu as the venue for a town hall meeting organised under the Nigeria Democratic Congress banner and scheduled for Thursday, October 29, 2026.

A video circulating on social media showed NDC official, Princess Ada Ogbu, confronting venue staff over the decision, with claims that the state government had pressured the facility to cancel the event.

The meeting was expected to feature Obi and Kwankwaso. According to the information circulating alongside the video, the venue was withdrawn less than 24 hours before the event despite prior payment. (The PUNCH)