Politics

Delta PDP condemns Atiku’s billboards’ destruction, accuses APC

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Campaign Council in Delta State has condemned the destruction of the campaign billboards of the party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, and his running, Dr Ifeanyi Okowa, by some hoodlums in the state.

The PDP campaign council said the thugs who destroyed billboards along Udu Express junction near Warri, the Delta State capital, were sponsored by the opposition in the state, the All Progressives Congress (APC).

This was contained in a statement issued on Wednesday by the Deputy Director, Media/Publicity Committee, Delta PDP Campaign Council and State Publicity Secretary, Dr. Ifeanyi M. Osuoza.

Osuoza added: “There is a very clear indication that this crude, anti-democratic demonstration of unprovoked, unnecessary violence so close to the commencement of the 2023 general election, was perpetrated against the backdrop of the recent unbearable, strangulating economic hardship visited upon Nigerians by the wicked APC Federal Government, through the naira redesign/swap and suffocating fuel crises that has gripped the entire Nigeria nation by the jugular, in a suffocating choke hold.

“The currency swap in particular, is a deliberate policy of the All Progressives Congress, APC Federal Government, so we are at a loss to understand why they are now inciting riots across the country through their leaders, even as these same leaders and their Governors have gone to Court to challenge a policy of their own administration and leadership.

“But amazingly, rather than direct their anger and wild destructive frenzy against APC billboards and the object of their sufferings in Warri, these deliberately misguided and mentally imbalanced elements, chose to vent their anger on our harmless billboards, which lends sufficient credence and corroboration to our position that they were definitely sponsored by opposition groups and interests.”

He stated that it was unfortunate and worrisome that the incident came barely 24 hours after all the political parties in Delta State, including the APC and the Social Democratic Party (SDP) signed a Peace Accord in the presence of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), security agencies, and civil society groups in which they all committed and resolved to be of good conduct, eschew violence and maintain the peace across the state ahead of the 2023 general election.

He, however, urged the members of the PDP in Delta State to remain calm and peaceful in the state, adding: “We know our capacity and we will respond accordingly on February 25 and March 11, at the ballot and our polling units with our PVCs, as we prove to these enemies of progress and democracy, that destroying our billboards is the worst they can do and this will not in any way, be enough to stop our massive landslide victory at the elections.

“We also wish to caution the opposition and sponsors of this violence, especially the Delta State All Progressives Congress, APC Governorship candidate, Senator Ovie Omo-agege, to caution those who may be masquerading as his thugs, to be more circumspect in their opposition plans as we approach the elections, and desist henceforth and forthwith, from even conceiving and perpetrating any further acts of destruction and violence on our party billboards and other symbols. This is a friendly advice.

“We have duly reported this matter to the law enforcement agencies, who were fortunately present at the Peace Accord signing ceremony, and we urge them to hold Senator Ovie Omo-Agege in particular, responsible for the wanton destruction perpetrated by those who may be acting as his thugs in Delta State and take swift and appropriate action to bring those found culpable for vandalising our billboards to book, in order to nip any further violence in the bud.

“Delta State deserves free, credible, and peaceful elections and the PDP will not be intimidated, deterred, or distracted by the defeatist actions of the shameless, unrepentant cowards and serial losers, from our determined march to resounding victory in the 2023 elections,” Osuoza said.

The Star