Intrigues trailing the battle for Lagos, Nigeria’s economic capital, have assumed a frightening dimension as opposition parties are accusing the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC of denying them a level playing ground to accomplish their 2023 ambition.

With the general elections a few weeks away the opposition parties said they are worried over persistent muzzling of their political campaigns through schemes allegedly induced by the APC.

However, the APC has dismissed the allegations as balderdash, saying it does not need underhand schemes to retain the state it has been ruling since 1999 through various platforms.

How APC’s muzzling opposition

According to them, the APC was undermining their campaigns through destruction of their banners and posters; attacks by hoodlums, intimidation of supporters and stopping them from using billboards.

APC in INEC offices sorting, separating PVCs – LP

Speaking on the issue, the Governorship Candidate of the Labour Party, LP, Mr. Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, alleged that various unorthodox measures are being used by the APC-controlled state government to stifle them, saying they have been getting reports across the state of unfair treatments suffered by their members when they go to collection points for their Permanent Voter Cards, PVCs.

He said: “They are being told that their voter’s cards are not ready. There have been instances where we find people from the ruling party in the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, offices sorting cards and separating cards that belong to non-indigenes, putting them aside so they don’t have access to those cards.

“We have seen this happen several times in Ajeromi-Ifelodun, Ojo, Oshodi-Isolo. Some people are even complaining about it in Amuwo-Odofin and Surulere. So, we have tried visiting all of these places and talking to INEC staff on the ground, telling them that we are getting these reports and engaging them.

“I am hoping that we are also going to see the state’s Resident Electoral Commissioner, REC, to ensure that our people are not disenfranchised in the forthcoming elections.”

According to him, their banners are being taken down; their posters are being covered while the ruling party’s banners are left in peace.

He continued: “We are civil people. We don’t behave like animals or believe that we should be oppressing other people to be able to win the heart of the populace. So, those are the kind of things that are being done in Lagos.

“It is something to be expected because if a government has not done well, they will be worried. It is a normal thing in Lagos where a sitting government that has not done anything is worried about opposition getting visibility.

“If they know that they have done what they ought to do, they do not need to be taking people’s banners out, covering their posters, tearing their posters and intimidating LP members. But, we are going to stay the course because we are in the hearts of the people.

“What we do is to print more posters and keep putting it up because nobody is going to admit that they took down our banners. We know who did it but what are we going to do? Report to the police? This is the culture of Lagos State government – APC government, which is one of oppression, intimidation and violence because that is what they know, that is what they do.

“Thinking that you are going to get justice for this type of people is not really smart and it is a waste of time, all we can do is to have innovative ways, new ways of reaching our people, organising them and ensuring that they are secure.”

“Yesterday (last week Wednesday), I was in Surulere, where I visited five different PVC collection points and talked to the people there. The INEC staff there had been changed because of the complaints that they have been getting in that local government.”

Rhodes-Vivour, who concluded by sharing his party’s high hopes ahead of the polls, said: “It is these things that make people feel that it is so important to remove them. That is what they don’t understand. They push people to the wall to the point where they get more angry and determined that this type of system is not a system that is fit for a present democracy.

“It is inspiring people to remove them because nobody likes a bully and people will always go for the underdogs. We are standing forth because we know where we are going. Nigerians have seen past tokenism, the politricks that they play, Lagosians are tired. So, we are going to stand firm.”

PDP concurs

Concurring, the PDP said the ruling party was intimidating its supporters, harassing market women, instructing commercial buses not to convey members of the PDP

Shedding more light, Lagos Publicity Secretary of the party, Mr. Hakeem Amode, alleged that that since campaigns commenced, the APC had been using the government apparatus to stifle them, saying they “intimidate our supporters, harass ordinary market women, remove our banners, prevent us from using billboards and went as low as instructing commercial buses not to convey our members to our presidential rally.”

He lamented that their ward tour campaign in Alimosho was threatened, adding that in Badagry, they were attacked by hoodlums loyal to the ruling government.

He said: ‘We have had situations where markets in Alimosho were locked because of the rousing welcome they gave to our Deputy Governorship Candidate, Funke Akindele. The women were made to submit the souvenir (apron) we gave them, which we believed were needed by these women to aid their trade.

“Sometime last year, when our flag boys went for an early morning traffic storm to create awareness through the display of our party flags, they were attacked. Two people were wounded with machetes by hoodlums loyal to a known agency of the ruling party.”

The PDP scribe disclosed that in a show of force, their banners were ripped off by the APC.

“For placement of our banners, we had to make do with the little space they left us. Then, we placed our banners on the highway after they had placed theirs. Before 24 hours, the banners were removed and replaced with those of the ruling party. We have video evidence of the Lagos State Signage and Advertisement Agency, LASAA, using the agency’s water truck to remove our posters on the road,” he concluded.

We have had very little friction – YPP

Also speaking, National Publicity Secretary of Youth Progressive Party, YPP, Mr. Ayodele Adio, said on their part, they have not been stifled and the reason for this could be because they do not have a governorship candidate.

His words: “What we have is a state House of Assembly candidate who has been campaigning effortlessly. We have had very little friction doing that. I understand that some candidates have complained that their posters are being ripped off but it is the same story in every election cycle. For us, we don’t think that it is something to complain about, and we have enough posters to go round multiple times.

“In fact, 10 times over to the point that the person removing it will get tired of it. Aside from that, our candidate has not been harassed by thugs; nobody has attempted to muzzle us. “

LP, PDP crying wolf where there’s none – APC

chieftain of the APC, Mr. Joe Igbokwe, said the allegations were all lies, noting that the APC knew nothing about them.

He said: “It is not happening and it is not going to happen. We don’t need anybody to help us win this election. We have laid the foundation for over 20 years. So, we are on top of the game and we know we are cruising to victory, given our works because we have antecedents, background, and track records.

“Let them play their game and stop this blame game, it is not going to help anybody. We are not stopping. (Vanguard)

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