Bayelsa State Chapter of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has warned against the continued acts of lawlessness by the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state.
The PDP stated this in reaction to a press statement issued by the APC over the party’s irresponsible act of defacing the state capital with campaign materials and contravening the Bayelsa State Physical Planning and Development Law that regulates all forms of outdoor advertising.
A statement signed by the PDP State Publicity Secretary, Mr. Ebiye Ogoli, described the placement of unauthorised campaign materials at the median of major roads in Yenagoa as illegal and an attempt to deny the state of revenue that should accrue from outdoor advertisement.
The statement described as disrespectful APC’s boastful press release challenging the authority of a sitting Governor and the government on a matter that should attract penalty’s for contravening an existing law.
“The truth must be told that there are laws regulating outdoor advertisement and here in Bayelsa, the State Physical Planning and Development Board is empowered by law to do that. Those APC campaign materials are not standardised and remain potential threat to motorists and pedestrians because of the spots they were placed along the road median.
“It is most irresponsible to wake up and just line up campaign materials at will at unathorised places without obtaining approval from the regulating authority in the state Will it be asking for too much for them to simply seek approval from relevant authority to do so?
The statement noted the desperation of the state chapter of the APC in unlawfully decorating the state capital with its colours ahead of its presidential campaign and give the false impression to its visiting members that the party was on ground in Bayelsa.
“The fact is APC has been seriously degraded and has no base in the state. Only on Wednesday, more than 1,000 of its former leaders and their followers formally joined the PDP during the inauguration of our party’s presidential campaign council in Yenagoa.
“Knowing what awaits it at the polls, the APC has resorted to all manner of falsehood, propaganda, blackmail and subterfuge on the social media to deceive Bayelsans. But to their disappointment, the Bayelsa people are not swayed by the APC’s shenanigans.
“Bayelsans are well aware that the APC as a party finds it difficult to operate within the ambit of the law; the people of the state have also not forgotten how so much violence was unleashed on them in the 2019 governorship election. These tendencies are again rearing their ugly heads and will not be toleraed”
The PDP said the current government in the state demands that all campaign activities be conducted peacefully and lawfully by all political parties and that acts of lawlessness and recklessness will not be condoned.
“Bayelsa has been peaceful since this PDP government came on board since February, 2020. And the State Government will not allow any irresponsible opposition to truncate the peace that all people of the state currently enjoy” Act lawfully and decently’ the statement concluded.