Ismaeel Uthman
UNKNOWN persons have continued to destroy campaign billboards of major political parties contesting the July 16 governorship election in the State of Osun.
It would be recalled that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had last week Thursday accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) of sponsoring the destruction of campaign billboards of its governorship candidate, Sen. Ademola Adeleke.
However, in what seems to be reprisal, the campaign billboards of Governor Adegboyega Oyetola and that of Dr Akin Ogunbiyi, the Accord Party’s flagbearer are now being destroyed.
Findings by OSUN DEFENDER revealed that destructions are noticeable in Osogbo and Ilesa.
The medium noted on Wednesday that campaign billboards of Oyetola, Adeleke and Ogunbiyi at Dele Yes Sir roundabout, old garage, Ayetoro, Olonkoro, Stadium, Fakunle, Jaleyemi-Isale Osun, Alekuwodo, Ofatedo junction on East Bypass, have been destroyed.
It was gathered that a campaign billboard belonging to the PDP at Itakogun Street, Ilesa West local government was destroyed on June 10.
The billboards destructions have been generating reactions from members of the public.
In its June 12 press statement, the Chairman, Osun Civil Societies Coalition (OCSC), Comrade Waheed Lawal, condemned the practice, describing it as barbaric and uncivilized.
Lawal said: “We condemned in its entirety, the destruction of campaign billboards of governorship candidates in the state. The act remains a symbol of an uncivilized and unhealthy democracy, which Nigerian politics and its players should have grown from.
“The precept of democracy is for the people to have free will of choosing who represent them in government. We demand from INEC, security agencies, political parties and all other stakeholders that the governorship election must be free, fair, transparent, credible and violent free.”
