Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has criticised the security deployment to protect campaign billboards of President Bola Tinubu in Kaduna.
He particularly questioned why campaign materials receive protection while Nigerians continue to face insecurity.
Atiku, the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), made the remarks in a post on his Facebook account following reports that security operatives had been assigned to guard Tinubu’s campaign posters and billboards ahead of his expected visit to Kaduna on Saturday.
“What a tragic statement of your government’s priorities,” Atiku said, accusing the administration of prioritising the president’s image over the safety of Nigerians.
He wrote, “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!”
Reports said security personnel had been deployed to strategic locations across Kaduna metropolis to prevent the vandalism of campaign materials ahead of the planned flag-off of the 2027 presidential campaign in the state.
Personnel of the Kaduna State Traffic Law Enforcement Authority (KASTLEA) and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) were reportedly among those assigned to protect the billboards and posters, particularly along major roads leading to the Kaduna Township Stadium, where the rally is expected to hold.
A security operative assigned to the duty told newsmen that some personnel had been deployed to protect the campaign materials from the Township Stadium area to Kawo.
“We were assigned alongside KASTLEA marshals to protect Tinubu’s billboards and posters from being vandalised before the campaign rally. Our duty is mostly at night because that is when the youths can carry out such acts,” the operative said.
He added that the assignment followed a circular issued by the unit directing some personnel to provide security for the campaign materials.
The development comes weeks after Aminu Sanda, a Katsina State resident popularly known as Nesta, was detained and charged with treasonable felony over allegations that he destroyed Tinubu’s campaign billboards.
Sanda was initially invited by the police in Katsina over allegations that he pulled down the president’s billboards and broke into the Katsina State Secretariat of the All Progressives Congress (APC), where he was accused of stealing N35 million.
However, Sanda has denied the allegations, including claims that he destroyed the billboards and broke into the APC secretariat to steal the money. He described the allegations against him as unfounded.
Meanwhile, the Kaduna Township Stadium has been renovated and decorated ahead of the APC presidential campaign flag-off scheduled for Saturday, October 24, 2026.
The stadium, which has a capacity of about 8,000 people, has been repainted, while APC flags have been mounted around the venue ahead of the arrival of President Bola Tinubu and governors from the seven North-West states.
It was learnt that roads leading to the stadium had also been adorned with billboards and posters of Tinubu, Vice President Kashim Shettima and Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani.
