The Adamawa State government has instructed the presidential campaign office of Gombe State Governor, Ibrahim Dankwambo, to remove his giant billboard in Yola because it was erected on a space allocated as a parking space for commercial tricycles known as “Keke Napep.”
The notice was given to Mr Dankwambo via a letter from Adamawa State Urban Planning and Development Authority Yola dated July 12.
In the notice signed by the Director, Town Planning on behalf of the General Manager, the agency, said its decision is “ in accordance with section 34 and 37 Adamawa State Urban and Regional Planning Law ADS Law No. 3 of 2010”.
The letter acknowledged that the Dankwambo campaign organisation had submitted an application to the authority on July 9 requesting for approval to place the billboard.
The billboard is currently placed at a roundabout closed to Yola International Airport.
Giving further reasons for disapproving the request, the Urban Planning authority said “the site was already allocated to Keke NAPEP as parking space.”
It also asked the Gombe governor “to remove the billboard within 24 hours or have it removed by the authority.”
It also advised him to “look for another site for approval by the authority before posting” the billboard.
Dankwambo alleges foul play
Mr Dankwambo who is aspiring to pick the ticket of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), however, alleged foul play on the matter.
Speaking through one of his political associates and a spokesperson for the campaign, Dahiru Kera, Mr Dankwambo said the urban planning at first asked for a payment of one million as fees for the billboard.
‘’We were contacted through our contact by the task force that we must to pay one million naira on the billboard and its quite shocking that even after agreeing to pay the hefty sum as requested by the authority, they vehemently rejected it and said, they’ve reached a decision to dismount the billboard and the task force has been instructed to do that immediately,” Mr Kera said.
He also lamented that a democratically elected government is working hard to undermine the rights of an individual to aspire and contest for an elective office.
“Nigeria belongs to all of us and Adamawa State is part of Nigeria and Dankwambo has the right like any other Nigerian to mount his billboard anywhere within the country.
“We therefore, strongly condemned this dastardly act and the undemocratic behaviour of the Adamawa State Government.
“It’s good to note that destroying a billboard which is the last kick of a dying horse, isn’t going to change anything, Nigerians are determined to vote out this fake government from power come 2019 and no amount of intimidation, browbeating, and scare tactics can change their position,” Mr Kera said. (Premium Times)
