From: Ali Abare, Gombe

Following the outcry that greeted the reported removal of political billboards and posters belonging to members of the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) in

Gombe State Environmental Protection Agency (GOSEPA) has explained the reasons it removed posters and billboards belonging to the All Prpgressives Congress (APC) and that of President Muhammadu Buhari.

General Manager of the agency, Nasiru Haruna, in a chat with journalists, on Wednesday, said the move was to discourage politicians exploiting the popularity of President Buhari to seek for political office.

While denying that the agency was harassing members of the opposition, Haruna stressed that the agency was equally removing posters belonging to the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

“We only removed one Buhari’s billboard at the Central Roundabout because it was a joint poster. The governor gave express directives to remove any billboard or poster with the picture of the president.

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“If any politician is going out to campaign, he should do so in his own capacity and not to join issues with the president,” he said.

The GOSEPA boss who doubles as chairman, Taskforce Committee on Environmental Sanitation and Other Related Matters, disclosed that Governor Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo recently inaugurated the committee with a mandate to enforce the law banning unauthorized billboards, banners, notice boards, posters among others within the state.

Haruna displayed a public announcement purportedly carried on the state own media advising those placing billboards, banners, posters, and notice boards illegally to “immediately remove them on or before September 2, 2017 by 8.00am.”

He insisted that Governor Dankwambo consulted with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) before embarking on the exercise.

“Go to INEC and ask if it is time for campaigns. We have many laws, please go and confirm from INEC, before the government formed this committee, I’m fully aware that the Governor directed the Secretary to the State Government to get some clearance from INEC before forming this committee.

“His Excellency has directed that any joint poster should be removed, he has respect for the President of Nigeria and Gombe is his constituency, but anybody who makes a joint poster and place it without authority should remove that poster,” he explained.