Bayelsa poll: Dickson not against Alaibe’s ambition

Bayelsa State Government has refuted the claims by the former Managing Director, Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Ndutimi Alaibe, that his campaign posters for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship ticket were being pulled down by its agents.

The government issued a 48-hour ultimatum to Alaibe, as aspirants in all political parties to comply with the rules and regulations guiding the erection of campaign posters.

The Commissioner for Environment, Mr. Ebipade Apaingolo, directed the relevant agencies to pull down indiscriminate posters belonging to Alaibe and others on the streets of Yenagoa within 48 hours.

He said that it was compulsory for all aspirants without any exception to show good example by obeying the laws of the state.

He explained that persons, who want erect campaign posters in conspicuous spots in the city and other parts of the state, should approach the relevant agencies such as the Physical Planning and Development Control to fulfill the requisite conditions prescribed by the existing laws.

Apaingolo chided Alaibe for claiming that his posters were being pulled down by agencies of government when he and his team neither contacted nor paid any fee for the posters as required by law.

He  stressed that it was the standard practice in every decent civilised society for those erecting billboards to contact Physical Planning and Development Control  for the approval.

The commissioner expressed shock that an aspirants of the PDP seeking to govern the state would rush to attack the government of his party over his own failure to approach the agencies to make the requisite payment for the erection of such campaign posters in the city.

He said by his actions, Alaibe had shown the Nigerian public that he was in the governorship contest with the sinister motive to cause confusion and destabilise the state.

He said recent activities of the former NDDC MD revealed that he was in cahoot with enemies of the government to promote acts of destabilisation  against the state.