Signage agency claims responsibility over advertiser’s debt
By Banji Ayoola
As preparations for the November Governorship Election in Ondo State hot up, the campaign organizations of both Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa and the immediate ex-Commissioner for Finance, Mr. Wale Akinterinwa have sharply disagreed over the destruction of some billboards belonging to the latter in the state capital.
Raising the alarm, the spokesman of Akinterinwa Campaign Organisation, Mr. Segun Ajiboye fingered Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa’s perceived thugs given their alleged antecedents.
In response, the Director of Information of the Lucky Aiyedatiwa Campaign Organisation Foot Soldiers (LACO-FS), Mr. Kayode Fasua, faulted the allegation as another tissue of lie against the Governor and demanded an apology.
Both Governor Aiyedatiwa and Akinterinwa are aspiring on the platform of the ruling party, which is set to pick its flagbearer in the election next month.
Meanwhile, the Ondo State Signage and Advertisement Agency (OSSAA) has claimed responsibility over an alleged failure by the billboard owner, Global Outdoor Service Limited, to remit the outstanding 2023 payments to the state’s purse.
In a statement titled “Call your thugs to order,” Ajiboye accused suspected thugs loyal to the Governor of the destruction.
According to the statement: “It has come to the notice of the Wale Akinterinwa Campaign Organisation that despite the constant denial by the authoritarian government of Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, its thugs have continued to unleash terror and destruction on members and properties of other governorship aspirants of the All Progressives Congress in Ondo State.
“The unstrained thugs of the governor again went on a rampage on Friday in Akure and destroyed billboards of our principal, Wale Akinterinwa. The destruction was most noticeable at FUTA Junction, where the imposing unipolar billboard of the frontline aspirant was shredded and pulled down.
“Unsurprisingly, they went as far as threatening the advertising agency never to replace the destroyed billboard. They went further to threaten to revoke his license if he replaced it. This, again is not unexpected, going by the desperation in the camp of Governor Aiyedatiwa.
“It is worth noting that not even in the bad days in the Southwest were the scenes being created within the ranks of same political party. Recall that we equally raised the alarm back in February when thugs unleashed mayhem on the people during President Bola Tinubu’s visit to the family of the late Oluwarotimi Akeredolu.
“While the governor vowed to bring to book those behind the heinous attacks, it is not surprising that nothing has been heard of the case since. This action has continued to bring the name of our great party into disrepute, while other political parties in the state stand by the sideline watching and plotting how to exploit the situation.
“Again, we want to use this opportunity to urge leaders of the APC in Ondo state and at the national level to call Governor Aiyedatiwa to order before he destroys the party in the state. We also call on all security agencies, including the police and the DSS to ensure the safety of supporters of other aspirants and their properties across the state.”
Allegations against Governor false – Aiyedatiwa Campaign Organisation
Reacting in a statement titled “Re: Aiyedatiwa, call your thugs to order – a farce”, the Director of Information of the Lucky Aiyedatiwa Campaign Organisation Foot Soldiers (LACO-FS), Mr. Kayode Fasua, described the allegation as “the latest manufacture of another lie” against the Governor.
He said: “Wale Akinterinwa Campaign Organisation would most certainly have been busy, poring over ‘The Prince’, the dare-devil treatise of Nicollo Machiavelli, on how to seize power by any means.
“Otherwise, there is no justification for its latest manufacture of another lie aimed at whittling down the soaring popularity of Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa who looks sure-footed to coast to victory in the coming primaries of our great party, the APC.
“They are alleging the destruction of their principal’s billboards by political thugs loyal to the governor but display a sheer lack of smartness in cooking up the lie. For instance, a single proof of identification of where the thugs reside as base, and who their commander is, are never cited in the gale of accusations.
“What is clear to all, however, is that most of the deified billboards under reference appear inferior, suggesting that they were poorly erected and of weak gait.
“Remember that this is the rainy season accompanied by whirlwinds, thus justifying the time-tested saying that all pretensions will collapse.
“Rather than drag the good name of Aiyedatiwa into apparent internal dishonesty in their camp, they are best advised to set up a probe panel within their tent, to find out who cut the corners.
“So, Governor Aiyedatiwa deserves apologies from Wale Akinterinwa Campaign Organisation.”
Meanwhile in a statement, the Special Assistant to the Governor on Digital Media, Mr Yomi Oyekan absolved the Governor and State Government of the allegation, which he described as false.
According to the statement: “It is a known fact that the Agency (Ondo State Signage and Advertisement Agency (OSSAA)) is constitutionally responsible for the erection of billboard hoardings and inventories including the annual remittance to the State Government.
“The said billboard structure owned by Global Outdoor Service Limited failed to remit the outstanding 2023 payment. Taking into cognizance the political gimmicks applied by our fellow brethren along the corridor of cheap political blackmail during this campaign period is unhealthy and cannot stand the test of time.
“We endear the general public to desist from inhuman and derogatory allegations made against the people’s Governor, His Excellency, Lucky Aiyedatiwa.
“Hence, we admonish the good people of Ondo State in their civility and polity during this period in a democratic way and shun the reaction that negates the standard and provision necessary in exercising the fundamental human rights of aspirants in good faith.
“To this end, it is the dutifully bound by the Ondo State Signage and Advertisement Agency to regulate the obligation associated with the use of billboards in the state, especially when a third party fails to comply with the statutory obligations to the State Government.”
