Edo Opposition Parties Raise Alarm over Destruction of Billboards and Campaign Materials

At a stakeholders’ forum convened by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Benin City, opposition parties in Edo State reported the alleged destruction of their billboards and campaign materials and acts of intimidation ahead of the 2027 general elections. Labour Party chair Helen Uwangue, African Democratic Congress deputy chair Sylvester Ewanehi and New Nigeria Democratic Congress legal adviser Mathew Edaghese called for impartial protection and the prosecution of those responsible for electoral violence. They also urged consequences for electoral offences and greater transparency from INEC, including during the release of results. APC assistant secretary Samuel Obuoh denied his party’s involvement in political violence and called for issue-based campaigns, while Edo’s INEC resident electoral commissioner, Obbo Effanga, urged parties to obey the law and rejected violence in politics.