The controversy over the removal of campaign billboards belonging to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in Kwara State, Engr. Suleiman Bolakale Kawu, has deepened, with the opposition party accusing the administration of Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of political intolerance, while the state signage agency insists its action was based on violations of advertising regulations.
The dispute followed the removal of Kawu’s billboards at Adabata Junction and Agaka in Ilorin on Wednesday by officials of the Kwara State Signage and Advertisement Agency (KWASAA).
While the PDP and Kawu alleged that the exercise was part of a wider attempt to suppress the opposition’s visibility ahead of the 2027 elections, KWASAA said the affected structures were removed because one allegedly involved the destruction of a newly constructed road, while another was mounted on government-owned water infrastructure without the required approval.
Speaking during the enforcement exercise, KWASAA General Manager, Mr Toba Adeyeye, said the agency acted following complaints from members of the public and was committed to enforcing the state’s outdoor advertising regulations irrespective of political affiliation.
At Adabata Junction, Adeyeye said officials discovered that a section of a newly constructed road had allegedly been dug up to install Kawu’s billboard.
“We just left Adabata Junction, where we discovered that the road was actually dug.
“A newly constructed road was dug for the placement of a billboard. It is totally unhealthy and unbelievable,” he said.
He stressed that public infrastructure must not be damaged for political campaigns, noting that such facilities were funded with taxpayers’ money.
“The road that was destroyed belongs to the people of Kwara. It’s a road that they use taxpayers’ money to fix.
“How can you possibly just dig the road and say you want to use it for a political campaign?” Adeyeye queried.
He said the second billboard removed at Bata Shop, Agaka, was mounted on a government-owned motorised borehole.
He added that the use of public infrastructure for advertising required approval from the appropriate authorities.
“The second one that we also have issue with is that it’s a government property. It’s public infrastructure.
“If you need to do any form of advertisement or campaign, and you need a government infrastructure for that purpose, you need to first seek approval from the relevant agencies,” he said.
According to Adeyeye, KWASAA works with the Ministry of Water Resources, which oversees the affected facility, and political actors are expected to comply with the established procedures before using government property for advertisements.
The agency chief rejected allegations that the enforcement was targeted at the PDP or its governorship candidate, saying similar actions had been taken against candidates of the ruling party.
“We are not really partisan, but we will do our job, no matter the party involved, no matter the candidate involved.
“The most important thing for us at KWASAA is Kwara. Kwara comes first, no matter the party, no matter the candidate,” he said.
Adeyeye added that several other PDP campaign billboards remained untouched because they did not violate the regulations.
“Previously, during the primary elections, we had the same enforcement that affected even the ruling party greatly.
“If any ruling party candidate commits any of these offences, we are also going to pull it down,” he said.
But the PDP rejected the explanation, alleging that government agencies were being deployed to remove its campaign materials from strategic locations across Ilorin.
In a statement issued by the State Publicity Secretary, Olusegun Olusola Adewara, the party specifically condemned the alleged involvement of personnel operating under the Kwara State Water Corporation in the removal of Kawu’s billboard at Agaka.
The PDP alleged that the development was connected to Governor AbdulRazaq’s forthcoming turbanning ceremony, claiming that the administration was uncomfortable with opposition campaign materials being visible around areas expected to be accessed by guests attending the event.
“The urgency of the directive issued to remove the billboard, coupled with the presence of Water Corporation agents at several locations in Ilorin pulling our billboards down, suggests that the Abdulrazaq administration has become increasingly uncomfortable with the growing visibility of the PDP across the state,” the party said.
The opposition party maintained that removing its billboards would not alter the political choices of Kwara residents, insisting that voters would make their decisions based on their experiences and assessment of the competing political parties.
“The Governor must understand that Kwara people are not billboards. Their voices cannot be dismantled.
“Their political choices cannot be pulled down. Their support cannot be removed with government trucks and ladders,” the PDP said.
Kawu also condemned the billboard removals, describing them as an attempt to restrict legitimate political competition.
He urged the governor to compete through ideas, programmes and performance rather than what he described as efforts to silence opposition voices.
“My name may be removed from a billboard, but my commitment to Kwara cannot be removed, nor can my aspiration to serve or the people’s right to choose their leaders,” Kawu said.
“You may remove a billboard, but you cannot remove an idea whose time has come.”
The PDP further urged Governor AbdulRazaq to stop what it described as political intimidation and direct government agencies to desist from removing legitimate campaign materials.
It called on the administration to focus on issues affecting residents and allow political parties to campaign freely ahead of the 2027 elections.
However, KWASAA , said its enforcement exercise would continue throughout the campaign season, warning politicians against damaging public facilities in the course of seeking votes.
Adeyeye said the agency had undertaken sensitisation programmes, including radio appearances and a stakeholders’ engagement with political actors, to explain the rules governing political advertising.
“This exercise is a continuous thing. People violate almost every day, especially this season.
“But we are just using this medium to also tell the people that we are not against any political party or any candidate.
“What we just want is that, let’s do things in order,” he said.
He argued that politicians seeking public office should lead by example by protecting the public infrastructure they would be expected to manage if elected.
“Anybody that is campaigning is campaigning to come and represent the people of Kwara State,” he added.
The allegations of political interference by the PDP and Kawu could not be independently verified. (vitalnewsngr.com)
