There is something profoundly disturbing about a government that appears increasingly uncomfortable with the sight of opposition campaign billboards. What is unfolding across Plateau State, where billboard operators are being pressured by government officials and political intermediaries to deny or frustrate access to advertising spaces for Chief Kefas Wungak Ropshik, is an affront to democratic principles and an alarming abuse of political influence.
Spearheaded by the activities surrounding one Mr Williams, whose apparent dominance of the billboard industry raises serious questions about competition and access, the situation has become increasingly untenable. Local government chairmen, commissioners and heads of agencies have reportedly mounted pressure on billboard owners for allowing PDP campaign messages to be displayed, notwithstanding the requisite ARCON approvals. Some operators have even been advised to deliberately delay requests associated with Chief Kefas.
The hypocrisy is difficult to overlook. A government that preaches investment in Plateau and celebrates indigenous creativity now appears determined to frustrate a local artist whose extraordinary hand-painted billboard at British America Junction demonstrated the immense potential of our creative industry. Devian Vou Zang’s work should have been celebrated as a triumph of local ingenuity, not targeted because of the political message it carries. Is local talent only worthy of celebration when it serves the political interests of those in government?
Even more troubling are reports of APC campaign materials appearing on privately owned billboard structures without corresponding payment to the operators. If private investments can be appropriated for the convenience of the ruling establishment while opposition advertisers are intimidated, then we must ask what has become of commercial freedom and respect for private enterprise.
The reported ₦250 million figure attributed to the JMDB leadership in relation to governorship billboard advertising also demands public clarification. With over 100 billboards reportedly carrying the incumbent governor’s campaign messages across Plateau, how much is being expended, who is paying, and what is the source of the funds?
It is particularly ridiculous that an incumbent whose political visibility is already overwhelming should perceive fewer than 30 opposition billboards across the entire state as a threat. If you have the advantage of incumbency, why are you frightened of a few competing messages? Elections are not won by intimidating business owners, manipulating access to advertising infrastructure or weaponising government appointments against political opponents. They are won through ideas, performance, credibility and the confidence of the electorate.
Governor Caleb Mutfwang must call his appointees and political associates to order. His continued silence in the face of these developments risks being interpreted as tacit approval. No administration should be permitted to turn public office into an instrument of political persecution.
Plateau cannot preach investment while intimidating investors. It cannot celebrate local creativity while suppressing an artist because of political affiliation. And it cannot claim democratic credentials while attempting to monopolise the public space for political communication.
Chief Kefas Ropshik and the PDP have every right to communicate their political message within the ambit of the law. That right is not subject to the approval of the incumbent governor or his political appointees. If the government believes in its achievements, let it defend its record. If it believes in its vision, let it sell its ideas. But it must stop intimidating billboard operators and leave the democratic space open to competition.
Plateau is not a private estate. The government does not own the state, its businesses, its artists or the political choices of its people. Let the people decide.
®️ Concerned Plateau Citizen
