The Edo State Government and the state Peoples Democratic Party on Monday traded words over Governor Monday Okpebholo’s re-election campaign for President Bola Tinubu.
The Presidency, on Saturday, called for a halt to any of such campaigns and disclaimed any campaign material.
Reacting through a press statement on Monday, the state PDP Publicity Secretary, Chris Nehikhare, said the Federal Government’s disclaimer was a major blow to Okpebholo’s attempts to curry Tinubu’s favour through unlawful political grandstanding.
The statement read, “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.
“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.”
Responding, the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Fred Itua, said the latest PDP press release was misleading, reckless and malicious.
The statement read, “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.
“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.”
The government said it was hypocritical for the PDP, which it claimed had consistently desecrated the rule of law through executive impunity and abuse of office, to now quote the Electoral Act in a dishonest attempt to score cheap political points.
“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.
