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| Gov Dankwambo |
By Danjuma Attah, Gombe
The All Progressive Congress (APC), Monday, issued a 10-day ultimatum to Governor Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo of Gombe State to return President Muhammadu Buhari’s billboards and posters or they will be compelled to protect their rights as citizens.
The State government had last Monday through the State Traffic and Environmental Marshals in company of a few personnel of the Nigeria Security and Civil defense Corps (NSCDC) and the Police Chief Security Officer (SCO) in Gombe Government House, removed all APC billboards and posters, including that of President Muhammadu Buhari in all parts of the State capital.
The APC’s Interim Secretary in the State, Bello Kassimu Maigari, along with other state executives of the party, while addressing a press conference over the matter, said there is no law against posting billboards and posters in Gombe and that the directives contravened their constitutionally backed rights to freedom of expression, opinion, receive and impute ideas and information without interference according to sections 39 and 40, more so, the party said they did not post the posters on government buildings or properties.
The APC also alleged that Governor Dankwambo’s action was because the APC organized a peaceful and massive rally in Gombe on Tuesday, August 29, 2017 to welcome President Muhammadu Buhari from his medical vacation abroad, his anti-Buhari stance and his desperate presidential ambition in 2019.
According to him, “we are therefore considering the action of the personnel of the State Marshals under the directives of Governor Dankwambo as a clear manifestation of political persecution and infringement of our party members’ constitutional right to political association,” adding that the APC in Gombe is apprehensive of the bias political atmosphere and violence foisted on them by the State Marshals, which may likely cause breach of public peace in the State.
Maigari expressed the party’s disappointment with Governor Dankwambo, whom he said had abdicated his mandate to aspire to the office of the president even with about two years to the end of his tenure, which was why he was alleged to have co-sponsored the ‘resume or resign’ protest against President Buhari and refused to join other governors of the country to welcome President Buhari preferring to go to Ekiti State to receive traditional title.
But reacting to the allegation, the Gombe state Commissioner of Information, Umar Ahmed Suleiman described it as a mere political sentiment meant only to dent the image of Governor Dankwambo, a vain attempt to heat up the polity and earn cheap public sympathy.
He said “the APC was only using the state government’s timely ban on the erection of political billboards on government and other public places to desperately cause a political rift between Governor Dankwambo and President Buhari.”
According to him, “to say that the ban included the removal of President Buhari’s posters and billboards in the State capital is not only untrue but indeed a figment of imagination of those who are trying to desperately cause a rift between the Governor and Mr. President.”
He stated that there is a billboard act where such persons, political associations or organizations need to be cleared first, pay a specific amount before erecting such billboards but that in order to allow for a more democratic situation, the State Government had maintained a prolonged forced silence.
He explained that government’s action was based on its believe that it is its responsibility that all public places are kept clean rather than what others think is an attempt to keep them away from showcasing their political image, which the commissioner describes as untrue.
“What the order said was simply a ban of politician’s billboards and posters in public places and round-abouts, including those who adorn their posters with that of Mr. President, but did not say that any billboard or poster carrying only his picture should be removed. The ban as it should be understood did not single out any political party but even those billboards and posters of PDP,” the commissioner stressed.
“It should be concurred that Nigeria is Mr. President’s constituency, therefore, the whole country should be adorned with his billboards or posters, nobody will question that because he belongs to the entire citizens,” Umar pointed out.
The All Progressive Congress (APC), Monday, issued a 10-day ultimatum to Governor Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo of Gombe State to return President Muhammadu Buhari’s billboards and posters or they will be compelled to protect their rights as citizens.
The State government had last Monday through the State Traffic and Environmental Marshals in company of a few personnel of the Nigeria Security and Civil defense Corps (NSCDC) and the Police Chief Security Officer (SCO) in Gombe Government House, removed all APC billboards and posters, including that of President Muhammadu Buhari in all parts of the State capital.
The APC’s Interim Secretary in the State, Bello Kassimu Maigari, along with other state executives of the party, while addressing a press conference over the matter, said there is no law against posting billboards and posters in Gombe and that the directives contravened their constitutionally backed rights to freedom of expression, opinion, receive and impute ideas and information without interference according to sections 39 and 40, more so, the party said they did not post the posters on government buildings or properties.
The APC also alleged that Governor Dankwambo’s action was because the APC organized a peaceful and massive rally in Gombe on Tuesday, August 29, 2017 to welcome President Muhammadu Buhari from his medical vacation abroad, his anti-Buhari stance and his desperate presidential ambition in 2019.
According to him, “we are therefore considering the action of the personnel of the State Marshals under the directives of Governor Dankwambo as a clear manifestation of political persecution and infringement of our party members’ constitutional right to political association,” adding that the APC in Gombe is apprehensive of the bias political atmosphere and violence foisted on them by the State Marshals, which may likely cause breach of public peace in the State.
Maigari expressed the party’s disappointment with Governor Dankwambo, whom he said had abdicated his mandate to aspire to the office of the president even with about two years to the end of his tenure, which was why he was alleged to have co-sponsored the ‘resume or resign’ protest against President Buhari and refused to join other governors of the country to welcome President Buhari preferring to go to Ekiti State to receive traditional title.
But reacting to the allegation, the Gombe state Commissioner of Information, Umar Ahmed Suleiman described it as a mere political sentiment meant only to dent the image of Governor Dankwambo, a vain attempt to heat up the polity and earn cheap public sympathy.
He said “the APC was only using the state government’s timely ban on the erection of political billboards on government and other public places to desperately cause a political rift between Governor Dankwambo and President Buhari.”
According to him, “to say that the ban included the removal of President Buhari’s posters and billboards in the State capital is not only untrue but indeed a figment of imagination of those who are trying to desperately cause a rift between the Governor and Mr. President.”
He stated that there is a billboard act where such persons, political associations or organizations need to be cleared first, pay a specific amount before erecting such billboards but that in order to allow for a more democratic situation, the State Government had maintained a prolonged forced silence.
He explained that government’s action was based on its believe that it is its responsibility that all public places are kept clean rather than what others think is an attempt to keep them away from showcasing their political image, which the commissioner describes as untrue.
“What the order said was simply a ban of politician’s billboards and posters in public places and round-abouts, including those who adorn their posters with that of Mr. President, but did not say that any billboard or poster carrying only his picture should be removed. The ban as it should be understood did not single out any political party but even those billboards and posters of PDP,” the commissioner stressed.
“It should be concurred that Nigeria is Mr. President’s constituency, therefore, the whole country should be adorned with his billboards or posters, nobody will question that because he belongs to the entire citizens,” Umar pointed out.
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