2027: Kwara PDP Candidate Accuses Govt of Suppressing Political Competition

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in Kwara State, Engineer Suleiman Bolakale Kawu, has condemned the removal of his campaign billboards in Ilorin, describing the action as an attempt to suppress legitimate political competition.

Kawu was reacting to the dismantling of two billboards bearing his name and image at Agaka and Adabata Junction by the Kwara State Signage and Advertisement Agency.

The agency had said the billboards were removed because they allegedly violated existing signage regulations, with one reportedly erected on a road and the other mounted on a government facility without the required approval.

However, Kawu questioned the motive behind the enforcement, saying that if the action was politically motivated, it would constitute an abuse of administrative power.

He urged Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq to engage political opponents through ideas, programmes and performance rather than administrative measures.

The PDP candidate said the removal of his name and image from the billboards would not weaken his commitment to Kwara State or his ambition to serve its people.

“Kwara belongs to all its citizens,” Kawu said, stressing that the state should remain a place where divergent political views can be expressed freely and peacefully.

He assured his supporters that he would continue to engage residents across the state as part of his political campaign ahead of the 2027 governorship election.

“While a billboard can be removed, an idea whose time has come cannot be removed,” he said.