LP accuses Soludo of dismantling Peter Obi billboards in Anambra

Maduako Igbokwe l Sunday, January 15, 2023

 

AWKA, Anambra – Labour Party (LP) has accused the governor of Anambra State,  Prof Charles Soludo  of  dismantling  the billboards of the presidential candidate of the party, Mr Peter Obi and other candidates in the state .

The chairman of the party in Anambra state Hon. Emeh Ugochukwu  made the accusation   in Awka on Sunday.

According to him, it is regrettable  that  Soludo  ordered the dismantling of  Peter obi and all the LP billboards mounted at strategic places across the state and replacing them with those of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), the governor’s party.

” I have it on good authority about the antagonism  of the leadership of Anambra State against the presidential candidate  of LP peter Obi. The antagonism has been carried to a higher level that all  the billboard that has the image of Peter Obi and other LP candidates were  dismantled and replaced with  All Progressive Grand Alliance APGA candidates against the spirit of live and let live .

LP was charged outrageously  to discourage us from projecting peter Obi image  in the state. Our application to mount billboards on high way were rejected and   we wondered why  the LP is being punished in the state ” he said.

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The candidate of the LP  for Anambra Central Senatorial District in the February 25 General Elections, Chief Victor Umeh said the act runs contrary  to  democratic  principles  and norm , describing it as  unconscionable.

He  threatened a legal action against the state government if the billboards were not restored immediately.

According to him, the  state government has no power in any extant law to regulate electoral processes, noting that the sole responsibility of  regulating election process is on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The Managing Director of Anambra Signage and Advertising Agency( ANSAA), Mr Tony Ujubuonu  said they removed those billboards because they refused to pay for them .

He said the LP billboard at Unizik  removed on Saturday  was not   removed by the  Soludo order  but according to the law regulating  advertisement in the state .

“ If you recall in August, we sent out a message to all political parties to pay up their campaign fees. There was a lot of hullabaloo about it. None of them has paid their own. So most of the parties that have not paid theirs that have adverts on government assets were removed. It has nothing to do with the governor. Governor didn’t give any order for that.

“The LP did not  pay the campaign fees and we spoke to their media heads several times; we informed them about the enforcement, and they haven’t paid it so we decided to take down the advert. It has nothing to do with the governor.

Some months back, the state government placed a public notice announcement stating that presidential candidates would pay N10m , senatorial candidates would pay N7m, House of Representatives candidates would pay N5m and state House of Assembly candidates would pay N1m as campaign fees” he said