Bayelsa State Government has rubbished the claims by the camp of a former Managing Director, Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Ndutimi Alaibe that his campaign posters for the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) governorship ticket were being pulled down by the agents of the government.
The government immediately issued a 48-hour ultimatum to Alaibe and all gubernatorial aspirants of PDP, the All Progressives Congress (APC) and other political parties to comply with the rules and regulations guiding the erection of campaign posters in the state.
The Commissioner for Environment, Mr. Ebipade Apaingolo, directed the relevant agencies to pull down indiscriminate posters belonging to Alaibe and others on the streets of Yenagoa within 48 hours.
He said that it was compulsory for all the persons aspiring to govern the state without any exception to show good example by obeying the laws of the state.
He explained that persons, who must erect campaign posters in conspicuous spots in the city and other parts of the state, should approach the relevant agencies such as the Physical Planning and Development Control to fulfill the requisite conditions prescribed by the existing laws.
Apaingolo derided Alaibe for claiming that his posters were being pulled down by agencies of government when he and his team neither contacted nor paid any fee for the posters as required by law.
He stressed that it was the standard practice in every decent civilized society for those erecting billboards to contact Physical Planning and Development Control for the approval.
The commissioner expressed shock that aspirants of the PDP seeking to govern the state would rush to attack the government of his party over his own failure to approach the agencies to make the requisite payment for the erection of such campaign posters in the city.
He said by his actions, Alaibe had shown the Nigerian public that he was in the governorship contest with the sinister motive to cause confusion and destabilise the state.
He noted that recent activities of the former NDDC MD revealed that he was in cahoot with enemies of the government to promote acts of destabilization against the state.
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Apaingolo maintained further that Alaibe erected his campaign posters all over Yenagoa without making any payment to the agencies in an outright violation of the laws guiding the construction of campaign posters on billboards.
He wondered if Alaibe would have been able to erect campaign posters in Lagos State where he resides and pays his taxes without recourse to the rules and regulations in the state.
He said: “It is rather regrettable that Alaibe who left the PDP in the buildup to the 2015 elections to fight the party, and who was graciously readmitted into the party like a prodigal son because of the magnanimity of the governor would rather opt to vilify the governor and his government.
He said: “He occupies the unenviable position in Bayelsa as the man whose ambition has made him to fight all governments of the state from inception in 1999 from Alamieyeseigha, to Jonathan, to Sylva, and now Governor Dickson who graciously admitted him into our party. It is unfortunate that he has allowed himself to be driven by his blind ambition and greed for power.”
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