Umahi sanctions APC for disobeying orders on campaign

The governor of Ebonyi State, David Umahi, has sanctioned his party, the All Progressives Congress, to pay a fine of N5 million for contravening the provisions of the state’s Executive Order 3 of 2022.

The Executive Order 3 of the state prohibits political parties from using public places such as schools, parks, and markets for political activities without obtaining due clearance from the government.

The PUNCH had earlier reported that the governor signed an order prohibiting political parties from using critical infrastructures for pasting posters without obtaining state’s clearance and using public facilities for campaign.

The governor in a statement to justify the fine, signed and made available to journalists through the commissioner for Information and Orientation, Uchenna Orji, on Sunday in Abakaliki, said, “Governor Umahi was saddened by parties’ continuous pasting of posters on electric poles, meridians, concrete roads, and on flyover bridges.

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“These parties include the APC, the Peoples Democratic Party, the Labour Party and the All Progressives Grand Alliance.

“When APC flagged off its presidential and governorship campaigns in the state, it littered the infrastructures with posters and that made other political parties to follow suit.

“Most of the critical infrastructure have been littered with posters against the laws of the state government and the Executive Order regarding the pasting of posters and billboards,” the statement noted.

The statement added that Umahi had decided to use his political party, the APC to set example as a deterrent to others.

“The party is thus fined N5 million for contravening the law and the Executive Order.

“The APC must pay the money to the state’s Internally Generated Revenue account and obtain a receipt.

“The party should publish the payment in all media platforms including the social media before Dec. 31 or risk paying a default fee of 50 million,’’ the statement read.

Gov. Umahi also ordered the APC to remove all posters on pasted infrastructures before Dec. 31.

“The Governor has decided to forgive all other political parties and appeal to them to remove their posters on critical infrastructures before Dec. 31.

“They are to desist forthwith from defacing our facilities or face similar penalty like APC in Ebonyi.

“The governor appeals to all political parties not to take this benevolence as a sign of weakness.

“Government will seal all secretariats and campaign offices of parties that fail to remove their posters or desist from continuous pasting of posters on critical infrastructure,’’ he warned.