The Edo State Government and the state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Monday clashed over campaign materials linking Governor Monday Okpebholo to President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 re-election.
The row erupted after the Presidency, on Saturday, publicly disclaimed the billboards and other campaign materials, describing them as unauthorised and illegal.
Reacting to the disclaimer on Monday, April 14, Edo PDP’s Publicity Secretary, Chris Nehikhare, said the development was a major setback for Okpebholo’s attempts to win favour with the President through what he described as political grandstanding.
“The Presidency has publicly disclaimed the premature and illegal 2027 campaign billboards flooding parts of Nigeria, including those promoted by Senator Monday Okpebholo and the APC-led government in Edo State,” Nehikhare said in a statement.
“In a statement titled ‘Presidency disclaims 2027 campaign billboards nationwide,’ the Federal Government expressed dismay over the growing number of unauthorised political billboards and reaffirmed its commitment to upholding the rule of law.
“This marks a major blow to Senator Okpebholo’s desperate attempts to curry favour with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu through reckless and unlawful political grandstanding.
“The Presidency’s intervention clearly validates our concerns and exposes the deceitful tactics of the Edo APC, which has shown a complete disregard for the nation’s electoral laws.”
But the state government dismissed the PDP’s reaction as baseless and politically motivated.
In a counter statement, the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Okpebholo, Fred Itua, accused the PDP of deliberately misleading the public.
READ ALSO: 2027: Stop Premature Campaigning Now, Tinubu Tells Loyalists
“Our attention has been drawn to yet another reckless, misleading, and malicious statement credited to the Edo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, signed by its Publicity Secretary, Chris Osa Nehikhare,” Itua said.
“In the said statement, the PDP once again peddled baseless claims and sought to mislead the public on matters it clearly does not understand or deliberately chooses to misrepresent.
“Let it be clearly stated that the statement is a shameful display of the PDP’s consistent obsession with fabricating lies against the person of Governor Monday Okpebholo and the progressive administration of the All Progressives Congress in Edo State.
“These repeated outbursts are the product of a party drowning in irrelevance and struggling desperately to remain in public discourse.”
He said the PDP lacked the moral standing to invoke the rule of law.
“The Edo PDP is in no moral position to lecture anyone on constitutional order or democratic values.
“Their tenure in power was defined by deceit, maladministration, and a relentless assault on truth and transparency.
“Let it also be noted that at the appropriate time, the PDP and its officials, including Chris Nehikhare, will be held accountable for the spurious allegations they have repeatedly made against Governor Monday Okpebholo of Edo State and other public officials.
“Edo belongs to all of us, and no amount of bitterness or false propaganda will derail the will of the people or slow down the pace of development,” the statement concluded.