•The contentious billboard
The Edo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), yesterday, said it remains committed to defending the constitutional order and protecting the integrity of the country’s democracy against desperate and unlawful manipulation by the All Progressives Congress (APC).
This is contained in a statement, which was made available to newsmen by the Publicity Secretary, Edo PDP Caretaker Committee, Chris Nehikhare, in Benin. Nehikhare publicly disclaimed the premature and illegal 2027 campaign billboards flooding parts of Nigeria, including those promoted by Governor Monday Okpebholo and the APC-led government in Edo State, reports The Guardian.
Nehikhare said: “This marks a major blow to Okpebholo’s desperate attempts to curry favour with President Bola Tinubu through reckless and unlawful political grandstanding. The Edo State PDP had earlier raised the alarm in a statement titled “Okpebholo’s Launch of 2027 Presidential Campaigns for Tinubu in Edo: An Insult, an Affront to the Constitution.”
The statement reads: “The presidency’s intervention clearly validates our concerns and exposes the deceitful tactics of the Edo APC, which has shown a complete disregard for the nation’s electoral laws. Their antics have not only embarrassed the Edo people but have now drawn a firm rebuke from the very leadership they were trying to impress.
“We now await the response of the Edo State Government to this direct disapproval from the Presidency. As we previously noted, Section 94(1) of the Electoral Act 2022 clearly states: “The period of campaigning in public by every political party shall commence 150 days before polling day and end 24 hours before that day.”
However, the Chief Press Secretary to the Edo State Governor, Fred Itua, said the PDP has continued to peddle baseless claims and sought to mislead the public on matters it clearly does not understand or deliberately chooses to misrepresent.
In a statement, Itua noted that at the appropriate time, the PDP and its officials, including Nehikhare, will be held accountable for the spurious allegations they have repeatedly made against Okpebholo and other public officials.
