Anthony Onochie Ochei, candidate of the New Nigerian Peoples Party (NNPP) for Aniocha Oshimili Federal Constituency in the 2023 National Assembly election, has accused the Delta State government of illegally removing his campaign posters and billboards.

A renowned chartered accountant and forensic expert, Ochei, who is popularly referred to as Onochieobodo, disclosed this in a petition written by his lawyers to Joselina Ventures, the agency contracted for the placement of his billboards and posters in the Delta State capital, Asaba.

With elections into the House of Representatives holding on February 25, Onochieobodo accused Joselina Ventures of “breach of contract”, after it took down his billboards and posters on the instructions of the state government, led by Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, and failed to notify him about the development.

Onochieobodo noted that the reason for the action by the Delta State government is owing to his continuous demand for accountability, particularly over the 13 per cent Derivation Fund by the federal government.

He stressed that the government has resorted to using touts and thugs to deface, remove or destroy his campaign posters in the city centres in the state.

“Our client presently ‘SITS IN THE THROAT OF DELTA STATE GOVERNMENT’ like a FISH BONE that cannot be swallowed through his insistence of how the payment of the 13% DERIVATION FUNDS made by the Federal Government has been spent and because this crucial and fundamental question cannot be explained to justify the humongous resources vis a viz the absence of basic infrastructure in the state, he has unraveled the myth of the state Governor as a demagogue and a non-performer who, rather than invest on physical and capital infrastructure that would galvanize the economic development and transformation of the state, invested in ‘stomach Infrastructure,’ read a statement from Onochieobodo’s lawyers, a copy of which was made available to The Guardian.

“It can be gleaned from the above the reason our client is the target of victimization and persecution, because Anthony Ochei has altered the political landscape and demographics of Delta State politics, by changing the narrative and bringing fresh perspective to how politics is to be played. He has demonstrated and showed that governance is a social contract between those in authority and the electorates; and that the person at the helms of affairs of the people is merely a servant leader acting on behalf of the people.

“It is this political enlightenment brought by our client which has greatly sensitized the electorates at the grass root level that pitched our client with the power bloc and made him the arrowhead of persecution. From this perspective, it can be seen why the state Government is bent at ensuring that our client doesn’t get a level playing field and chance at contesting the forthcoming election, hence the instruction to destroy his campaign bill boards and posters.

“While we condemn in the strongest of terms the despicable and deplorable act of the governor for indulging in DIRTY POLITICS in its CRUDEST and VILEST FORM by employing subterranean means of trying to muzzle our client’s political aspiration and other opposition parties by using the instrumentality of state apparatus through the refusal in granting permission to use stadium for their campaigns and rallies, what we will not condone is for you to abandon all professional etiquettes and principles by kowtowing to the instructions of the state government to PULL DOWN/ and or DESTROY our client’s campaign bill boards and posters,” added the statement from the lawyers of Onochieobodo.

He has issued a one week ultimatum to Joselina Ventures to replace the billboards that had been pulled down or face legal action, after being paid the sum of N750,000 for the services.

“Now it is our client’s instruction that unless these campaign billboards are immediately replaced within one week of receipt of this letter, we shall be constrained to set in motion all necessary legal machinery against your Agency for flagrant violation of contractual agreement, criminal conspiracy and complicity with the Delta State to sabotage the political aspiration of our client and this next move we shall do without further recourse to you. Be warned.”

In a related development, Onochieobodo has lamented a similar trend in his constituency, where he said that his campaign posters are either removed, defaced or torn out completely; for which he blamed the PDP and its candidate Ndudi Elumelu.

“I want to draw the attention of our respectable leaders in Odu, revered elders and honourable gentlemen and ladies on this platform to an incident that happened in the last 12 hours in Ogwashi-uku.

“A 20 by 10 banner installed right in front of my uncle’s fenced gate in my family compound in Ogbe-Ahor was removed the next morning by agents of PDP in Ogwashi-uku, working for my main opponent.

“My opponent in their party posters pasted on the entrance to our street in the last three weeks are still there for me to see each passing day,” added Onochieobodo.