The campaign organisation of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, candidate for Ife Federal Constituency, Hon. Prince Sikiru Adetona Ayedun, popularly known as EsKay, has dismissed allegations of poster vandalism levelled against it by the campaign council of incumbent lawmaker, Hon. Taofeek Ajilesoro.
In a statement on Friday, the EsKay Campaign said the press release issued by the Ajilesoro Campaign Council Organisation, ACCO, was “nothing but an attempt at cheap political blackmail, calculated to drag the ADC and its candidate into an unnecessary controversy.”
The group challenged ACCO to present credible and verifiable evidence to substantiate the allegations instead of resorting to public accusations.
“If ACCO has concrete evidence of poster vandalism, the responsible thing to do is to present the evidence to the appropriate security agencies rather than resorting to public accusations, political insinuations and attempts to malign an opposition party,” the statement said.
It described as unfortunate that an organisation claiming to believe in democratic values would level allegations against an entire political camp based on what it called field reports and video evidence without establishing the identities of the alleged perpetrators.
“Let the facts speak, not propaganda,” it added.
The ADC camp advised Ajilesoro and his team to focus on selling their candidate’s record and achievements rather than manufacturing sympathy through unsubstantiated claims.
“Hon. Taofeek Ajilesoro and his campaign team should concentrate on selling their candidate’s record, presenting their achievements and convincing the electorate why they deserve another mandate, instead of issuing questionable press releases and attempting to manufacture public sympathy,” the statement said.
According to the group, the people of Ife Federal Constituency are more interested in meaningful representation, accountability and development than political drama.
“The people of Ife Federal Constituency are interested in meaningful representation, accountability, fresh ideas and measurable development, not political drama, intimidation or unnecessary confrontation,” it said.
The statement said the emergence of Ayedun represents an opportunity for a new direction, adding that the electorate should be allowed to assess candidates based on vision, experience and capacity to deliver.
“The emergence of Hon. (Prince) Sikiru Adetona Ayedun (EsKay) represents an opportunity for a new direction, renewed energy, competence, capacity and purposeful representation,” it noted.
It stressed that posters do not determine electoral outcomes and that every candidate has the right to campaign freely.
“Political posters are not the ultimate measure of popularity, neither does their presence or absence determine the will of the electorate. Democracy gives every candidate the right to campaign freely, and that right must be respected,” the campaign stated.
“If ACCO genuinely believes in its candidate’s popularity and achievements, there should be no need to manufacture controversies or constantly seek excuses to discredit the opposition.”
The EsKay camp called for an end to propaganda and urged all parties to campaign peacefully and allow voters to decide.
“Our message is simple: Stop the blackmail, stop the unnecessary propaganda, and face the real business of campaigning,” it said.
“The ADC and its candidate should not be intimidated by politically motivated allegations. Let every party campaign peacefully, let every candidate present their scorecard, and let the people of Ife Federal Constituency make their choice freely at the ballot,” the statement added.