The Osun State chapters of the All Progressives Congress, APC, and the Accord Party have traded accusations over the vandalisation of campaign billboards across the state, with each side alleging responsibility against the other.
The Accord Party, in a statement issued in Osogbo on Friday by its state chairman, Pastor Victor Akande, accused the Osun APC of orchestrating widespread destruction of its candidate’s billboards.
Akande described the incidents as deliberate acts of vandalism and alleged that they were carried out by individuals linked to the APC.
“Osun APC cannot run away from its shadows, from its crimes. Denial from Osun APC is an afterthought. The dastardly act is too obvious to ignore,” he said.
He added that the destruction occurred in several towns, including Osogbo, Ede, Ila, Ilesa and Ile-Ife, resulting in significant financial losses.
“The destruction of billboards was perpetrated across major towns in Osun State… It was a pre-planned evil conduct, leading to the loss of millions of naira in materials,” Akande stated.
The Accord chairman disclosed that the party had initiated legal steps over the matter and urged law enforcement agencies to act decisively.
“We take this infraction seriously and we have taken appropriate legal steps to remedy the situation. This illegality will not go unpunished,” he added, while also calling on party members to remain calm and law-abiding.
In response, the Osun APC Governorship Campaign Council dismissed the allegations, describing them as false and politically motivated.
In a statement signed by the council’s Head of Media and Publicity, Engr. Oluremi Omowaiye, the Osun APC accused the state government and its allies of engaging in self-vandalism to discredit the opposition.
“We state unequivocally that this allegation is false, baseless, and a desperate attempt to ‘hang a dog in order to give it a bad name,’” the statement read.
The Osun APC alleged that its own campaign materials, particularly those of its governorship candidate, Asiwaju Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji, had been targeted by political thugs.
“If anything, it is the campaign billboards and promotional materials of our candidate that have suffered relentless destruction at the hands of political thugs visibly linked to the Osun State Government and its Accord Party,” the statement added.
The party also linked the allegations to ongoing scrutiny of officials in the state administration, claiming the accusations were intended to divert public attention.
It stated that security agencies had been notified of the situation and expressed confidence that appropriate action would be taken to address the competing claims.