Labour Party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi’s supporters in Bonny Local Government Area of Rivers State have raised alarm that they were under attack as campaign billboards in the area are being continuously vandalized.  

The party’s House of Representatives Candidate for Degema/Bonny Federal Constituency, Warisenibo Dienye Pepple expressed this concern on Friday, October 21, 2022 in a statement he personally signed titled “Repeated Sabotage of Our Campaign Banners: A Handwriting of Victory at the Polls in 2023”.

According to him, campaign billboards made with steel and reinforced were pulled down and then a wooden one was later also pulled down, curiously, those of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), amongst others were not affected.

“REPEATED SABOTAGE OF OUR CAMPAIGN BANNERS: A HAND WRITING OF VICTORY AT THE POLLS IN 2023

My attention has been drawn again to another sabotage of my Campaign Banner mounted at Water Well Junction by Willbros Road, Akiama, Bonny Island. This is about the fourth (4) time in a row these mischievous acts have been perpetrated against our campaign.

At first, we mounted a 10×20 feet billboard on the same spot with iron pipes and a solid concrete base. A few days later, the iron pipes were hammered around the base and pushed down to the ground. We replaced the pipes and reinforced them, only to have it hammered down again. This happened amidst other opposition party banners mounted at the same area without even a scratch on them despite having wooden frames.

We eventually decided to follow the fashion of other parties and mount a wooden frame banner at the same spot, but on Thursday, 20th October 2022, I was notified of another reckless sabotage on the banner.

Whereas I find this most despicable and provocative, I call upon my supporters to remain calm and law abiding. This cowardly act only shows that the perpetrators are afraid and intimidated by my campaign team and the Labour Party. This to me is a handwriting of victory for me and the Labour Party in general.

I once again call on the security operatives in Bonny to investigate and bring to book the perpetrators of these unlawful acts.

I wish to also call on all political parties in Bonny LGA to be mindful of the peace accord signed by all political parties before the kick-off of Campaign in Rivers State.

 I call on all Labour Party Supporters to remain focused and committed to the Victory before us and shun the temptation to retaliate in any way. Vengeance is the Lord’s.”

Other stalwarts of the party, who spoke with Kristina Reports pointed out that these acts of sabotage were a contravention of the Electoral Act as they called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to take notice of these acts with a view to addressing them in line with the extant provisions of the Electoral Act as amended.