19th June, 2021
By Adeyemi Adeleye
The Lagos State Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and the All Progressives Congress, APC, have locked horns in the build up to the forthcoming Local Government election in the state.
The PDP had on Saturday decried the destruction of its campaign banners and posters allegedly by supporters of the ruling APC.
Political activities are entering feverish pitches as Lagos State holds council polls in the 20 local government areas and the 37 local council development areas on July 24.
PDP raised similar concerns in a statement issued in May, cautioning APC supporters to stop the destruction of the party’s campaign materials.
“The APC are really damaging our posters. They should know that they don’t have the monopoly of thuggery. It will be disastrous if we meet them on their turf.
“We have reported the case to the Police Command in Ikeja and the DSS in Shangisha. To be fore warned is to be fore armed.
“They should teach their followers to be more tolerant,’’ Lagos PDP Chairman, Adedeji Doherty, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Saturday, in Lagos.
He said that disturbing acts of destruction of banners, posters and other materials necessary for advertising aspirants for the forthcoming council elections in the state could cause violence.
Doherty said that reports reaching his office showed that the destruction of PDP posters were happening all over the state.
The PDP chairman urged APC leaders to caution their supporters to stop such practices.
He called on Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the Lagos APC State Chairman, Alhaji Babatunde Balogun, the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, CP Hakeem Odumosu, the Department of State Security and other security agencies to urgently look into the trend.
According to Doherty, it is an irony to have banners and posters of aspirants of the APC up and standing, while those of aspirants of the opposition are either removed, defaced, damaged, or destroyed.
The PDP chairman urged PDP supporters to remain peaceful, even in the face of provocations, and called on all concerned persons and security agencies to urgently nip these acts in the bud before law and order break down.
Reacting to the allegations, APC’s Publicity Secretary, Seye Oladejo, advised the PDP to look inward to fish out culprits behind the alleged destruction of its banners and posters.
“I will advise him (Doherty) to look inwards. There’s absolutely no need to dissipate energy on this.
“This is not my personal opinion though; our political history in Lagos State since the advent of this democratic dispensation is explicitly clear about that.
“The other time their spokesperson humbly admitted that they stood no chance in the coming elections; now they talk about torn posters. It’s difficult to reconcile the two contrasting positions.”
Oladejo stressed that PDP’s allegations were mere attention-seeking gimmick.