PDP accuses Kwara govt of removing billboards ahead of AbdulRazaq’s turbanning
…says removal aimed at hiding opposition presence in Ilorin
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Kwara State chapter, has accused the state government of removing its campaign billboards across Ilorin ahead of Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq’s turbanning ceremony scheduled for next week.
The party specifically alleged that government agents operating under the guise of the Kwara State Water Corporation forcefully removed a billboard belonging to its governorship candidate, Engr. Suleiman BolaKale Kawu, at Agaka area of Ilorin.
In a statement issued on Wednesday and signed by the party’s Publicity Secretary, Olusegun Olusola Adewara, the PDP described the alleged removal as political intimidation and accused the governor of being uncomfortable with the party’s growing visibility in the state.
The party alleged that agents of the state government had been deployed to several locations in Ilorin to pull down its billboards.
According to the PDP, the development was linked to the governor’s forthcoming turbanning ceremony, where he is expected to receive colleagues, associates and political guests.
The party claimed that the governor did not want visitors attending the ceremony to see what it described as the “political reality” represented by the PDP billboards, particularly the billboard featuring its governorship candidate at Agaka.
“The urgency of the directive issued to remove the billboard, coupled with the presence of Water Corporation agents at several locations in Ilorin pulling our billboards down, suggests that the AbdulRazaq administration has become increasingly uncomfortable with the growing visibility of the PDP across the state,” the statement said.
The PDP said removing its billboards would not diminish its support among residents, arguing that the party’s growing acceptance, the profile of its governorship candidate and the goodwill enjoyed by its leader, former Senate President Abubakar Bukola Saraki, could not be erased through the removal of campaign materials.
The party further argued that voters’ political choices were shaped by their experiences and convictions rather than the presence or absence of billboards.
“The people have moved beyond billboards. They have made their choices, formed their opinions and developed their political convictions based on their experiences,” it said.
The PDP also criticised the alleged attempt to remove visible opposition materials before the governor’s ceremony, saying guests should be allowed to see the political realities in the state rather than what it described as a “sanitised political environment.”
The opposition party called on AbdulRazaq to halt the alleged removal of its campaign materials and direct government agents to stop what it described as political intimidation.
It urged the governor to focus on issues affecting residents and prepare to face the electorate ahead of the 2027 elections.
The state government had yet to respond to the allegations as of the time of filing this report.
