The Osun State chapters of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Accord Party are locked in a war of words following the destruction of campaign billboards across the state. Each political group has pointed fingers at the other, denying any involvement and blaming their rival for the damage.
The Accord Party, through its state chairman Pastor Victor Akande, issued a statement on Friday in Osogbo accusing the APC of orchestrating the widespread defacement of its candidate’s billboards. Akande labeled the acts as premeditated sabotage and claimed they were executed by individuals with ties to the APC. “The Osun APC cannot escape responsibility for its actions. Denial is an afterthought. This blatant misconduct is impossible to overlook,” he asserted.
According to Akande, the vandalism occurred in multiple towns, including Osogbo, Ede, Ila, Ilesa, and Ile-Ife, leading to substantial financial setbacks. He noted that the destruction was systematic and caused losses running into millions of naira. “The billboard destruction was not random; it was a planned evil that cost us dearly in materials,” he said, adding that the party has already initiated legal proceedings and called on law enforcement to take decisive action. “We take this violation seriously and have commenced legal steps to address it. Such illegality will not go unpunished,” Akande warned, while urging party supporters to remain peaceful and law-abiding.
In a swift rebuttal, the Osun APC Governorship Campaign Council dismissed the allegations as baseless and politically motivated. In a statement from its Head of Media and Publicity, Engr. Oluremi Omowaiye, the APC accused the state government and its Accord Party allies of engaging in self-vandalism to tarnish the opposition’s image. “We categorically state that this accusation is false, unfounded, and a desperate attempt to falsely accuse the innocent,” the statement read.
The APC further alleged that its own campaign materials, particularly those of its governorship candidate, Asiwaju Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji, have been repeatedly targeted by political thugs. “If anything, our candidate’s billboards and promotional items are the ones that have suffered relentless destruction at the hands of thugs visibly connected to the Osun State Government and the Accord Party,” the party claimed.
In addition, the APC suggested that the allegations are a diversionary tactic aimed at deflecting attention from ongoing scrutiny of state officials. The party confirmed that it has reported the matter to security agencies and expressed confidence that the authorities will address the competing claims appropriately.