The Enugu State government, Friday, shut down Bon Platinum Hotel, Enugu, where certificates of return were issued by the Independent National Electoral Commission to political elected officials in the aftermath of the 2023 elections on Thursday.
THE WHISTLER reported that panic struck the venue during the presentation when the hall used for the exercise began to quake, forcing guests to scamper for safety. The unusual occurrence also halted the exercise temporary.
Shutting down of the venue was announced by the Enugu Capital Territory Development Authority, ECTDA. The development authority was said to have carried out checks on the building, and found out that the hall was not incorporated in the building plan.
ECTDA’s chairman, Dr Josef Onoh, told newsmen that, “The hall doesn’t have an approval but the hotel has and there was a structural band on the hall yesterday (Thursday) when INEC was issuing certificates of return which made everybody scatter because they thought the building was going to collapse.
“So we went there today for inspection and we are now sealing the place, including another building being developed at the back.
“The proprietor of the hotel is not ready to exercise patience for the Nigeria Society of Engineers to come for their own inspection. But he is asking us to allow her host a wedding there tomorrow. I wonder how much she collected for the event that the venue cannot be relocated. So we have sealed the hall.”