The candidate of the Labour Party (LP) for Anambra Central Senatorial District in the February 25 general elections, Chief Victor Umeh, has condemned the dismantling of the billboards of the presidential candidate of the party, Mr Peter Obi and other candidates of the party in the state by the Anambra State Government.
Describing the development as undemocratic and unconscionable, Umeh threatened legal action against the state government if the billboards were not restored any time soon, .
He said the state government had no power in any extant law to regulate electoral processes, stressing that was the sole responsibility of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The LP had earlier accused the Anambra State governor, Prof Chukwuma Soludo, of ordering the dismantling of all the LP billboards mounted at strategic places across the state and replacing them with those of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), the governor’s party.
An LP chieftain who craved anonymity told our correspondent that Obi and Umeh’s massive billboard at the Unizik temporary site flyover was pulled down on Saturday by the Anambra Signage and Advertising Agency( ANSAA).
He said, “Soludo said that he does not want Labour Party advert at such a strategic place and ordered the Anambra Signage Agency to refund the money it received for the advert.
“ He ordered the removal all OBIdient billboards across the state. It’s a direct instruction from him in an APGA meeting Those around asked him not do do that, but he insisted that must be done.”
The Managing Director of Anambra Signage and Advertising Agency (ANSAA), Mr Tony Ujubuonu who confirmed that the LP billboard at Unizik temporary site was removed on Saturday denied that Soludo gave the order for the removal.
