The Anambra State Governor Charles Soludo has been given a 48-hour deadline by the Coalition of South East Youth Leaders (COSEYL) to reinstate the campaign billboards for Senator Victor Umeh of Anambra Central and Peter Obi of the Labour Party, both of whom are running for president of the United States. Peter Obi campaign billboard was taken down last week by the Anambra State Signage and Advertisement Agency.
Recall that in August 2022, the Anambra State Government ordered that all presidential, senatorial, and House of Representative candidates would each pay N10,000,000, N7,000,000, and N5,000,000, respectively, in order to mount billboards throughout the state. Candidates for the State House of Assembly would pay N1,000,000. After the removal on Saturday, the coalition of Igbo youths denounced the governor’s action and warned that the governor would suffer the consequences if the billboard was not put back up.
The coalition said in a statement released on Thursday by its President General, Goodkuck Ibem: “Governor Charles Soludo’s illegal action to remove campaign billboards of these honorable candidates because they are not in his political party is, to put it mildly, unconstitutional and undemocratic.
“We are aware that Governor Soludo is pursuing Mr. Peter Obi and Senator Victor Umeh because these two individuals exemplify honesty, sincerity, and transparency, which are at odds with the principles Soludo holds dear. We give Governor Soludo 48 hours to replace the Senator Victor Umeh and Mr. Peter Obi billboards that he illegally removed, or else.