Protect Nigerians, not Billboards, Atiku Tells Tinubu

Presidential Candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, has reacted to the deployment of security operatives to guard posters and billboards of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in Kaduna ahead of his planned visit on Saturday.

Daily Trust had reported how security personnel were stationed at strategic locations across the metropolis to prevent possible vandalism of the campaign materials ahead of the official launching of the presidential campaign in the state.

Reacting, the former Vice President, who shared a graphic of the Daily Trust report on the development, accused Tinubu of prioritising campaign posters and billboards over security of Nigerians.

He faulted the arrangement and questioned why security personnel would be deployed to protect billboards at a time when some communities across the country continued to face attacks by bandits.

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“Bola, you claim Nigerians love you, yet your billboards in Kaduna require security guards.

“Bandits raid villages, terrorists attack communities, and families live in fear. Your posters enjoy protection that millions of Nigerians can only dream of. What a tragic statement of your government’s priorities.

“Bola, please protect Nigerians with the same urgency you protect your image! -AA” Atiku added.

Meanwhile, the Kaduna State Government has dismissed reports of the deployment of security operatives to shield Tinubu’s campaign materials against possible vandalism.

In a post on his Facebook page, Abdullah Yunus Abdullah, Senior Special Assistant on New Media to Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani, said the security deployment was a routine practice and not only peculiar to the current administration.

“It’s worth noting that whenever a high-profile person is visiting town, security operatives are always deployed to flashpoint areas like markets, roundabouts, flyovers, places of worship, and other strategic locations. It’s a standard practice that happens everywhere.

“Even during the last administration of President Buhari, police and other security personnel were deployed to these flashpoint areas, as you can see in the first frame.

“So, the claim being shared by aggrieved ADC members that security operatives have been deployed specifically to guard President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s billboards in Kaduna State is completely baseless. It only shows they have lost ground in the state and across Nigeria.

“But if you insist those security personnel are actually guarding those billboards, then we will simply say we are maintaining the tradition we inherited during Baba Buhari!”