There was tension in Osogbo, the Osun State capital, yesterday over the burning of bill boards of the Action Congress (AC) governorship candidate Rauf Aregbesola by suspected Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) thugs.
One of the billboards was installed on Monday evening at about 6:00pm at Ola-Iya Roundabout, Osogbo, the state capital, and it was burnt by suspected PDP thugs around 7:00pm on Tuesday.
The other billboard at Oja-Oba, was in stalled on Tuesday afternoon by 3:30pm and it was burnt by PDP thugs same day around 7:00pm.
It was learnt that some hoodlums, who pretended to be working for the Ministry of Environment, burnt the bill boards.
On Tuesday between 7.00pm and 9.00pm, the hoodlums were said to be going round the town to burn the billboards.
AC sympathisers around the areas trooped out to chase the hoodlums away.
A leader of the AC in Osogbo, Alhaji Fatai Oyedele, reported the case at the State Police Command.
The Deputy Commissioner of Police, Mr. Vincent Okodua, reportedly summoned a meeting of political parties to douse the tension.
But while the meeting was underway, some men, accompanied by armed police men and some security agents, were said to have driven to Orita-Olaiya in a pick-up van with the Government House number plate, and tore what was left of the burnt bill boards into shreds.
An eyewitness said the men claimed to be officials of the Ministry of Environment.
But some shop owners in Olaiya said they had been served letters to pay some fees on their sign posts, which they are yet to do.
An aide of Aregbesola, Mr. Bosun Oyintiloye, said nobody served them such notice, adding that if they were served they would have complied.
Aregbesola’s media aide, Mr. Gbenga Fayemiwo, said candidate’s bill boards as an act of provocation.
Police spokesman Clement Akinola said the police did not call any meeting because of the bill boards.
He, however, said complaints were made about removal of some bill boards.
But, the Osun State government last night berated Aregbesola for "illegally erecting campaign bill boards without approval".
In a statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr. Lasisi Olagunju, the government accused Aregbesola of deliberately provoking the law by not following the procedure in placing outdoor adverts.
The government said it had nothing against Aregbesola starting his campaign for the 2011 polls "after his disastrous outing of 2007 but he must carry out everything he does within the confines of the law. Even PDP members who put up billboards applied to the ministry for permission to do so and paid the necessary fees."
