ENUGU, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)- Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State has ordered billboards owners in the state not to accept advert campaign projects from the opposition All Progressives Congress, (APC).
This was disclosed to newsmen on Tuesday night in Benin City, the state capital, by a member of the Billboards’ Association in Edo, Mr. Ibrahim Momoh.
According to him, Governor Obaseki also threatened to confiscate the billboard of anyone who disregards the directive.
When contacted, the State Director, Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON), Abdul Hakeem Tiamiyu, said he got the same complaints from a billboard owner.
Tiamiyu explained that while the job of billboard owners is to erect adverts on billboards, APCON regulates advertising contents in order to ensure conformity with the guiding regulations.
“I have heard the same complaints from billboard owners that Edo State Government has warned them not to erect any billboard from APC.
“I will carry more investigation on this because should this be true, it is quite unfortunate.
“Ours (APCON), is to regulate the content of every advert to ensure it does not fall foul of the law. We don’t erect billboards,” he said.
Confirming the development on phone, the Assistant Secretary, Billboard Owners Association, Edo State chapter, Mr. Precious Otameh, stated that they were instructed not to accept Adverts from, APC, Tribune reports.
He said: “A message came from Edo State Government House telling us not to accept Adverts from APC and other opposition parties in the state.
“We have been waiting for them for guidelines till this moment. They keep telling us not to erect any advert billboard from any opposition party until further notice.”
Reacting to the development also, the Edo State Commissioner for Communication and Orientation, Mr. Chris Nekhihare, explained that the state government has paid for the billboards in advance, knowing elections is coming.
When asked if his explanation suggests no more space for other parties to erect their campaign billboard, Nekhihare said that all he knows is that the state government paid for many billboard spaces in advance because the election is coming.