Soludo continue Attack On Obi, Pulls Down His Billboards Story by Chukwujekwu Ilozue

AWKA – Barely two months after Anambra State Governor, Charles Chukwu­ma Soludo, criticized Mr. Peter Obi, presidential can­didate of the Labour Party (LP), for ‘worthless’ savings, the state government has expanded the battlefront further by pulling down the campaign billboards of Obi and the Senatorial candidate of the party for Anambra Central, Chief Victor Umeh, mounted at strategic places in the state.

The Labour Party accused Soludo of giving them the to take action taken.

A chieftain of the party who spoke on condition of an­onymity said Obi and Umeh’s giant billboard at the UNIZIK Temporary Site Flyover was pulled down on Saturday by the Anambra Signage and Ad­vertising Agency (ANSAA).

He alleged that the bill­board at UNIZIK Temporary Site Junction was removed on the orders of Soludo.

He argued that “The ad­vert placed by an APCON registered Advertis­ing Agency was fully paid for.

“Soludo said that he did not want the Labour Party to adver­tise in such a strategic place and ordered the Anambra Signage Agency to refund the money it received for the advert.

“He also ordered the re­moval of the Labour Party advert at the Afor Nnobi Gantry. This advert has been there since October 2022 and was paid for five months.

However, the Managing Di­rector of Anambra Signage and Advertising Agency (AN­SAA), Mr. Tony Ujubuonu, confirmed that the LP bill­board was removed on Sat­urday but not on the orders of the state governor.

He said: “Whatever was removed was due to a challenge we had with the agent that erected the board.

First and foremost is that the bridge you are talking about had a Labour Party billboard. If you recall, we sent out a mes­sage to all political parties to pay their campaign fees in August.

“There was a lot of hulla­baloo about it. None of them has paid their own. So most of the parties that have not paid theirs that have adverts on government assets were removed. It has nothing to do with the governor. Governor didn’t give any orders. If they said they paid the campaign fees, let them give me any evi­dence, I should know I am the ANSAA MD.

“They didn’t pay the cam­paign fees, and we spoke to their media heads several times; we informed them about the enforcement, and they haven’t paid it, so we de­cided to take down the advert. It has nothing to do with the governor. Anybody that tells you anything about the gov­ernor and the billboard is telling you lies.”

According to Ujubuonu, when the advert was re­moved, the government re­funded the advertising agen­cy that mounted the advert money.