—Youths Threaten Showdown in Ideato
By Emmanuel Iheaka
The Action Peoples Party, APP, has described the planned removal of its billboards in Ideato Federal Constituency, Imo State, as provocative, alleging that the action would contravene an existing court order.
The party’s Media Coordinator for APP and GDF in Ideato Federal Constituency, Charles Okafor, told journalists that the billboards had been approved and paid for, but were allegedly marked for removal by the authorities of Ideato North and Ideato South Local Government Areas.
Okafor said the party had petitioned security agencies over the development and urged them to ensure compliance with the court order restraining the removal or destruction of the billboards.
He argued that billboard installation and regulation fell under the jurisdiction of the Imo State Signage Agency, rather than the local government authorities.
In the petition addressed to the Imo State Commissioner of Police, the Director of the State Security Service and the Commandant of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, among others, the APP urged the security agencies to prevent the destruction of the billboards and ensure that the party was not prevented from holding its rallies.
According to Okafor, the local government authorities had issued a five-day notice for the removal of the billboards.
He said the party considered the proposed action inconsistent with the court order and appealed to the security agencies to prevent any breach of peace.
Okafor said the billboards included solidarity billboards, APP campaign billboards and those of the party’s candidates for the Ideato North and Ideato South state constituencies, as well as its candidates for Ideato Federal Constituency and the senatorial district.
He said the party had receipts for payments made to the Imo State Signage Agency and copies of the court order and petition submitted to the security agencies.
Speaking separately, APP candidate for Ideato North State Constituency, Ogugua Mbadiwe, said he would not be intimidated over the matter.
Mbadiwe, son of the late politician, K. O. Mbadiwe, questioned the basis for any attempt to remove the billboards despite the party’s claim that it had obtained a court order protecting them.
He said: “This is my community, again, I’m Ogugua Mbadiwe, nobody can intimidate me in my community, especially after paying so much money. We have paid to mount our billboards, now somebody is trying to take laws into his hands, even after we secured court order. We will never succumb to any intimidation.”
Meanwhile, concerns have been raised over the reaction of some youths in the community to the planned removal, with reports that some of them were angry over the development.
The report that the youths were preparing for a confrontation could not be independently verified.
Efforts to obtain the reactions of the chairmen of Ideato North and Ideato South Local Government Areas were unsuccessful, as calls to their telephone lines were not answered.
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