WATCH VIDEO: LASAA officials caught destroying Jimi Agbaje’s campaign billboards in Lagos

The Peoples Democratic Party governorship candidate in Lagos State, Mr. Jimi Agbaje, has accused the Lagos State Signage and Advertisement Agency of declaring an all-out war against his campaign.

Agbaje said this on Sunday after residents of the Pedro area of the state reportedly caught five LASAA officials in the early hours of Sunday morning destroying the PDP candidate’s campaign billboards and loading them onto a truck on the Third Mainland Bridge.

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Early this morning 16 December 2018, LASAA officials in uniform were caught destroying and carting away our boards placed in the Ikeja/Gbagada axis. It appeared to be a synchronized, organized operation as they were moving to different parts of Lagos to do the nefarious work. Fortunately for us, some good samaritans were recording them while they were removing the boards and loading them into trucks at Ikeja. My team got wind of this illegal operation & immediately swung into action by alerting the Police & eventually apprehending the LASAA officials. I addressed the press while at the Pedro Police Station where these men were detained and I have since then lodged a formal complaint and charged these miscreants to court. Friends, the fact that we still have to contend with this sort of behaviour in 2018 is unfortunate. Lagosians, does it not prove that Lagos State is indeed in bondage? WHO is afraid of FREEDOM FOR THE PEOPLE? In a democracy, should the people not choose whom they want? Just over a week ago, the Commissioner of Police indeed had a meeting with all political parties asking for a peaceful run up to elections. LASAA was present and all the parties made it clear that advertising during elections had waivers. So why all the attempts to eradicate all traces of opposition? The ruling party has behaved like thieves, coming in the dead of night to do evil. It is even more worrisome when you consider that a government agency is being used to intimidate and drown out opposition. In a few of days, LASAA will come out to say: The men were not their employees. But we know they are because one of them had his ID card on him. Or they will say: JKs campaign did not ask permission before placing boards but the law is clear on exemptions for political periods. In this election, we will not be intimidated by anyone. We will not retreat in the face of oppression and you can be certain that we will not surrender our freedom to express our right to participate in free and fair elections. People of Lagos, let there be a level playing field. Today’s events have shown that the ruling party are scared of the POWER of the PEOPLE. It could not be any clearer.

A post shared by Jimi Agbaje (@jkagbaje) on Dec 16, 2018 at 12:07pm PST

The LASSAA officials were said to have been taken to the Pedro Police Station at Shomolu, Lagos, where they gave their names as: Julius Opebenyo, Tunde Akanbi, George Benson, Yinka Adejuwon and Saba Edgal.

The apprehended men were said to be in the LASAA uniform, with the agency’s identity cards on them, a statement by the Director of Media and Publicity, Jimi Agbaje Campaign Organisation, Mr. Felix Oboagwina, said.

Protesting over the incident, Agbaje said, “We have lost hundreds of billboards from supposedly LASAA officials. We believe this is a conspiracy by those in government against us. It is just not acceptable.


“These people preach democracy, but do not practise democracy. Democracy is about choice, democracy is about allowing us to express ourselves.”

Lamenting about the situation, the PDP candidate said his publicity devices, including A-Frame billboards and flags had been continually broken, vandalised and carted away by LASAA operatives, who, he alleged, usually leave untouched those of the candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu.

Describing the alleged LASAA clampdown on his publicity materials as “malicious, partisan, provocative, wicked and illegal,” Agbaje urged the Police to quickly apprehend and prosecute any LASAA agent found culpable in the damage of his campaign materials.

He also demanded that LASAA immediately return his billboards to their various sites.

In response, APC’s spokesperson in Lagos, Mr. Joe Igbokwe, said the party needed nobody’s help to win the election, hence, it could not have partnered with anybody to destroy the PDP candidate’s campaign billboards.

“Nobody is sending anybody to help the APC win the election. It’s not in our character to do that.

“We have even said it at the wards and local governments that nobody should do anything that will give the PDP any reason to accuse us of anything,” he said.

He added, “The PDP is already drowning, both at the state and federal levels. As a matter of fact, anybody destroying their campaign billboards is doing so for the opposition, not for us.”

Meanwhile, the spokesperson for the Lagos State Police Command, Chike Oti, has asked those destroying political parties’ candidates’ campaign materials to refrain from doing so to avoid public disturbance.

“We also advise the PDP candidate to petition LASAA and work things out with them,” Oti said.