From Taiye Joseph, Ilorin
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kwara State, and its governorship candidate, Engr. Suleiman Kawu, have condemned the reported removal of the party’s campaign billboards across Ilorin, accusing the administration of Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, of using government agents to suppress opposition ahead of the 2027 elections.
The latest controversy followed the reported removal of Kawu’s billboard at Agaka area of Ilorin on Wednesday, where government agents were said to have pulled down the campaign material located near the family residence of the PDP candidate.
The development came days after officials of the Kwara State Signage and Advertisement Agency (KWASAA), removed Kawu’s billboards mounted around the Geri Alimi Underpass, resulting in a dispute between government officials and signage contractors.
Reacting to the development, Kawu described the alleged clampdown as disturbing and urged the governor to focus on competing through ideas, programmes and performance rather than attempting to limit the visibility of political opponents.
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He said removing his image from billboards would not diminish his commitment to the state or his ambition to serve the people.
“My name may be removed from a billboard, but my commitment to Kwara cannot be removed, nor can my aspiration to serve or the people’s right to choose their leaders,” Kawu said.
“You may remove a billboard, but you cannot remove an idea whose time has come.”
The PDP, in a statement issued on Wednesday by its State Publicity Secretary, Olusegun Adewara, alleged that agents of the state government, operating under the guise of the Kwara State Water Corporation, were responsible for the removal of its gubernatorial candidate’s billboard at Agaka and other locations in Ilorin.
The party linked the development to Governor AbdulRazaq’s forthcoming turbaning ceremony, alleging that the governor was uncomfortable with his political guests seeing the growing visibility of the opposition party in the state capital.
“With Governor Abdulrazaq scheduled to hold his Turbanning ceremony and expected to receive a number of his colleagues, associates and political guests, he has suddenly found it necessary to mobilise government agents to remove PDP billboards across major locations in Ilorin,” the statement said.
According to the PDP, the timing and urgency of the removal, as well as the alleged presence of government agents at different locations, suggested that the administration was becoming increasingly uncomfortable with what it described as the growing acceptance of the PDP and Kawu ahead of the 2027 elections.
The party said the removal of campaign materials could not erase the political sentiments of residents, arguing that “Kwara people are not billboards” and that their political choices could not be dismantled with government equipment.
“The people have moved beyond billboards. They have made their choices, formed their opinions and developed their political convictions based on their experiences,” the party said.
The PDP further claimed that the growing profile of Kawu and the goodwill enjoyed by former Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, were realities that could not be eliminated through the removal of campaign posters and billboards.
The opposition party therefore called on Governor AbdulRazaq to immediately halt what it described as political intimidation and direct relevant government agencies to stop removing its legitimate campaign materials.
It urged the governor to focus on issues affecting residents and prepare to face the electorate rather than using government machinery to curtail the opposition’s political visibility.
Kawu, meanwhile, assured residents that he would continue to engage them peacefully and openly despite the alleged attempts to reduce his visibility, stressing that Kwara belongs to all its citizens and should remain a state where competing political ideas can be freely expressed.
The controversy is likely to further heighten political tensions in Kwara as parties and aspirants intensify preparations for the 2027 elections.
