The Edo State Authorities and the state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Monday clashed over marketing campaign supplies 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 different marketing campaign supplies, describing them as unauthorised and unlawful.
Reacting to the disclaimer on Monday, April 14, Edo PDP’s Publicity Secretary, Chris Nehikhare, stated the event was a serious setback for Okpebholo’s makes an attempt to win favour with the President by means of what he described as political grandstanding.
“The Presidency has publicly disclaimed the untimely and unlawful 2027 marketing campaign billboards flooding elements of Nigeria, together with these promoted by Senator Monday Okpebholo and the APC-led authorities in Edo State,” Nehikhare stated in a press release.
“In a press release titled ‘Presidency disclaims 2027 marketing campaign billboards nationwide,’ the Federal Authorities expressed dismay over the rising variety of unauthorised political billboards and reaffirmed its dedication to upholding the rule of regulation.
“This marks a serious blow to Senator Okpebholo’s determined makes an attempt to curry favour with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu by means of reckless and illegal political grandstanding.
“The Presidency’s intervention clearly validates our considerations and exposes the deceitful techniques of the Edo APC, which has proven a whole disregard for the nation’s electoral legal guidelines.”
However the state authorities dismissed the PDP’s response as baseless and politically motivated.
In a counter assertion, the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Okpebholo, Fred Itua, accused the PDP of intentionally deceptive the general public.
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“Our consideration has been drawn to one more reckless, deceptive, and malicious assertion credited to the Edo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, signed by its Publicity Secretary, Chris Osa Nehikhare,” Itua stated.
“Within the stated assertion, the PDP as soon as once more peddled baseless claims and sought to mislead the general public on issues it clearly doesn’t perceive or intentionally chooses to misrepresent.
“Let it’s clearly said that the assertion is a shameful show of the PDP’s constant obsession with fabricating lies in opposition to the particular 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 celebration drowning in irrelevance and struggling desperately to stay in public discourse.”
He stated the PDP lacked the ethical standing to invoke the rule of regulation.
“The Edo PDP is in no ethical place to lecture anybody on constitutional order or democratic values.
“Their tenure in energy was outlined by deceit, maladministration, and a relentless assault on fact and transparency.
“Let it even be famous that on the acceptable time, the PDP and its officers, together with Chris Nehikhare, might be held accountable for the spurious allegations they’ve repeatedly made in opposition to Governor Monday Okpebholo of Edo State and different public officers.
“Edo belongs to all of us, and no quantity of bitterness or false propaganda will derail the need of the folks or decelerate the tempo of improvement,” the assertion concluded.
