APC asked for N37.5m as Signage fee…
The Kogi State PDP has described as hostile, inimical and counter productive to strengthening democracy and human development, the request for thirty seven million, five hundred thousand naira (N37.5m) form the main opposition party, the PDP for the purpose of allowing the party to display billboard and players for it’s candidate in the ongoing ELECTIONEERING campaign.
The APC Government under Yahaya Bello in the state slammed this figure on the PDP, through a letter dated 24th October, 2022 which the party received today the 8th of November, 2022 and in which, the state Government issued a notice of fourteen (14) days as ultimatum for such payments to be made and went ahead to threaten legal action against the party as signed by one
Sule Salihu Enehe in the capacity of the acting Executive Chairman for Kogi Internal Revenue Services (KGIRS).
In a statement signed by the party’s Director of Media and Communications, Comrade Dayo Onibiyo, the party referred the letter captioned “DEMAND NOTICE OF N37,500m ON SIGNAGE FEE FOR YOUR PARTY’S CAMPAIGN POSTERS ACROSS KOGI STATE” with reference number KGIRS/MDA/Vol. 13/13095, dated 24th October, 2022 meaning it will expire by November 10th, 2022, two days from the day of receipt of the letter, even without proper consultation or due process, despite INEC’s over one year notice to all parties towards 2023 elections.
The party said, the harsh and unprogressive development is selective and targeted at it, as the main opposition party, due to the partys’ wide acceptability and rising profile, putting the APC in jeopardy and sending jitters down their spine.
“In all our days in Government, we never for once, deny any party, including the APC the right or access to the right of expression or campaigns before, during or after elections” noting that this is a sad, cruel and uncivilized approach to democracy in the 21st century, by those who should know better, now trying to shut the opposition out, why are they afraid? It concludes.
The party stated that, despite global effort to strengthen democracy, the APC in the state is committed to killing it, assuring them that the PDP cannot be stopped from winning the Presidential election in the state come February 2023 and the National Assembly elections, ahead of its readiness to reclaim the state by November 2023 Governorship election.
The party however, asked it’s teeming supporters to remain calm as the party will address the issue appropriately, that the sack notice issued to APC is not reversible.