The Plateau State Government and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have disagreed over allegations that the state government had removed campaign billboards belonging to the opposition PDP.
Our correspondent who went round the city reports that campaign billboards belonging to the PDP governorship candidate earlier mounted around Jos Business School and British American Junction were removed.
Governorship candidate of the PDP in the state, Chief Kefas Ropshik, in a statement, accused the state government of removing the campaign billboards in Jos.
Ropshik described the alleged removal of campaign billboards as intimidation of billboard investors and suppression of the creative expression of political opponents.
He said, ‘Plateau cannot preach investment while intimidating billboard investors. It cannot celebrate creativity while suppressing the creative expressions of political opponents.
‘It cannot claim to champion democracy while attempting to determine which political voices deserve visibility. It is yet another troubling indictment of a system seemingly willing to sacrifice Plateau talent on the altar of political expediency, ‘ he added.
But the General Manager of Jos Metropolitan Development Board (JMDB), Hart Bankat, denied the allegation, described it as unfounded, adding that the billboards were mounted without getting permission.
According to General Manager, the billboard in question did not have the required approval for installation, insisting that the action was not politically motivated.
Bankat said, ‘With all due respect, you are bigger than this, and working to occupy the exalted office of Governor deserves integrity.’
He asked Ropshik to produce evidence of any application made for approval to erect billboards in the state that had been denied by the relevant authorities.
‘Can you show us any application that was presented to place billboards or mount any in any location and it was denied?’ he asked.
According to him, all political parties had been issued letters concerning advertisement placements, adding that the issue should therefore be viewed within the framework of existing regulations.
Bankat also referred to an earlier incident involving the removal of posters of the Governor and President from under a bridge, saying the posters were removed and the party involved was fined.
The JMDB boss urged the PDP candidate to approach the board for clarification on the matter rather than interpreting the removal as an attempt to suppress political voices.