The All Progressives Congress in Lagos State has accused the state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Cornelius Aderanti, of giving undue advantage to the Peoples Democratic Party in the state ahead of the February elections.
The APC in a statement by its Publicity Secretary, Mr. Joe Igbokwe, said Aderanti’s order, barring the Lagos State Signage and Advertisement Agency, LSSAA, from removing illegal posters across the state had given the PDP the impetus to remove all APC posters and banners across the state and pasting its own instead.
The party said the development was a “dangerous display of political rascality and crass illegality that will not be allowed to endure in Lagos”.
The ruling party in the state questioned the authority that Aderanti had to order an agency established by law not to carry out its duties.
The statement read in part, “Following this tacit support from the CP, the PDP members and agents commenced removing the posters and campaign bills of the APC in the entire Lagos Island.
“They have gone further to paste their posters on top of APC posters in flagrant disregard of the feeling of Lagosians and the CP has remained conspiratorially silent. We recall that recently, a PDP leader, Bode George, visited someone in Adelabu Street, Surulere, and his supporters were witnessed by all removing APC posters and placing PDP posters in their stead.
“We ask, is this the real intention of the Lagos CP in issuing the clearly partisan threat of arresting LASAA workers for doing their lawful duties?
“We ask the CP to refrain from giving tacit support to the PDP and shielding them from sanctions for illegal acts”.
However, the Police Public Relations Officer, Kenneth Nwosu, in a counter-response, said the intention of the CP’s directive was not to give any political party an undue advantage, but to ensure a level playing field for all political parties.
“When we gave the directive, we issued a statement and it was clear. We said no person should tear down another person’s poster. If anyone has complaints, they can write to the police and we will take the matter up”, he said.