The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) candidate for Surulere Federal Constituency I, Dr Adefolaseye Adebomi Adebayo, has accused the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led Lagos State Government of political intimidation.
Adebayo made the allegation after officials of the Lagos State Signage and Advertisement Agency (LASAA) removed more than 50 of her campaign banners across the constituency.
The ENT, Head and Neck Surgeon, in a post on X, formerly Twitter, on Monday, claimed that the banners were removed from public spaces while campaign materials belonging to APC candidates were left untouched.
According to her, LASAA officials removed the banners using a truck accompanied by security personnel during the ongoing election campaign.
She said a LASAA spokesperson told her that the poles on which the banners were mounted belonged to the Lagos State Government and had been assigned to outdoor practitioners.
Adebayo, however, alleged that contrary to the explanation that the materials would be taken to Alausa, she later discovered that her banners had been kept somewhere within Surulere Local Government Area, specifically around Onilegogoro.
The NDC candidate questioned LASAA’s authority to remove her campaign materials during the election season, noting that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had lifted restrictions on campaign activities.
She also alleged that campaign materials belonging to APC candidates, including Barakat Bakare-Odunuga and Fuad Kayode Laguda, remained intact in the area.
Adebayo called on Nigerians to take note of what she described as the use of government agencies to intimidate opposition candidates, while questioning why the APC-led government would seek to frustrate a competitive electoral process.
She further urged the national leadership of the NDC to investigate the incident and demand an end to what she described as bullying and intimidation of opposition parties.
Another X user, @CephasIrhude, also shared a video purportedly showing LASAA staff removing one of Adebayo’s campaign banners.
Adebayo said the incident required urgent attention ahead of the election.
