The Abia State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has condemned the reported destruction of campaign billboards bearing the images of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu, in Bende Local Government Area.
The party, through its Publicity Secretary, Uche Aguoru, alleged that more than 15 billboards were destroyed in the area in the early hours of Tuesday.
Aguoru, in a statement, alleged that the vandalism was carried out by persons linked to the ruling Labour Party and the state government, but did not provide publicly verifiable evidence identifying the perpetrators. Other reports on the incident have similarly reported the vandalism while noting that the identities and affiliations of those responsible had not been independently established.
The APC spokesman described the development as a cause for concern ahead of the 2027 general elections and urged security agencies to investigate the incident and take appropriate action.
He also accused the state government and some Labour Party supporters of creating an atmosphere that could discourage opposition activities in the state, allegations the party said were part of broader concerns it had previously raised over political tensions in Abia.
Aguoru urged APC supporters to remain calm and law-abiding, stressing that they should not resort to self-help or retaliatory action.
According to him, the party had alerted relevant security agencies and would escalate the matter to the Presidency because some of the affected billboards carried the image of the President.
He called on the National Security Adviser, the Department of State Services, the Inspector-General of Police and the Commissioner of Police, Abia State Command, to investigate the alleged vandalism and ensure the protection of political parties and their supporters.
The APC publicity secretary said the party would pursue lawful means to protect its campaign materials and the rights of its members to participate in political activities ahead of the 2027 elections.
The reported vandalism comes amid heightened political activities in Bende and ongoing exchanges between the APC and Labour Party in Abia over issues surrounding the 2027 elections. The two parties have recently traded allegations over the Bende INEC collation centre, with the Labour Party rejecting APC’s claims as false.
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