A’Ibom APC candidate confronts council boss for destroying billboard, demand repair

Deputy governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress in Akwa Ibom State, Victor Antai, has condemned alleged destruction of APC candidates’ billboards in the state.

Visibly enraged Antai spoke at the site of one of the vandalised billboards in Idu Uruan, Uruan Council. Antai, who is the running mate to Obong Akan Udofia, the APC governorship candidate, narrated how the APC campaign billboards had been vandalised across the state.

“Yesterday, I sent some people to come and put up our flex on our billboard behind me here, this board personally belong to me. I erected this board since the year 2015. This was the board I also used in running campaign for the sitting Governor, Udom Emmanuel.

“Since I was not on the ballot, I had no use for it and some of my friends that are still in PDP have been using this board and I have not disturbed them.

“Right now since I am on the ballot, I have need for it and I drove down here to find torn materials and the board in a state of disrepair. Yesterday, I sent some money for them to maintain the board and then posted APC governorship candidate flex on this board. By this morning, I got a call from our teeming supporters across Uruan here, that the council chairman mandated his boys to vandalise the APC board.

He said he had only one message for the Council chairman, which is: “Power is transient.” He dismissed the reason the Chairman gave, which was that the board was standing very close to Uruan Council Secretariat.

“But I can tell you that this board is on Nwaniba Road that leads to Five Star Hotel and it’s about 300 metres away from the turn that leads to Uruan Council Secretariat,” he said and threatened a fight.

“They have touched the tiger’s tail. I am a grandson of Uruan. I have done more for Uruan than the chairman. So, I have the right also that the Iniobong has. He has touched the tiger’s tail and I am not going to take it lying low.”

Antai, however, later visited the Council secretariat to complain to the chairman and appealed to APC members to remain calm and law-abiding and not take the laws into their hands.

At the secretariat, Antai, who witnessed the disbursement of money to the poor as Federal Government’s social intervention programmes wondered why President Muhammadu Buhari would be generous to execute his programmes across party lines while agents of the PDP perpetuate violence on APC.

Antai gave the Council chairman 24 hours to return the vandalised APC billboard or face dire consequences.