By Adeleye Kunle
Political parties and their candidates in Oyo State are currently battling an incessant destruction of billboards.
This has been attributed to suspected political thugs.
Though no one has been arrested over the destruction of the billboards across the state, our correspondent gathered that the trend has continued to generate controversy among political parties and their candidates across the state.
Track news reports that there are currently 33 constitutionally recognised local government areas spread across five geo-political zones.
The zones consist of Ibadan, which has 11 local government areas, Oke-Ogun with 10 local government areas, Ogbomoso with five local government areas, Oyo with four local government areas and Ibarapa, with three local government areas.
Eighteen political parties are contesting different positions at the state and national levels.
Track News investigation revealed that most of these political parties and their candidates have had their share and have experienced or recorded one incident of billboard destruction or the other.
No fewer than ten cases of destruction of billboards had been recorded in the last two months.
Prominent cases were recorded in the last two.
The increase in the rate may not be unconnected with the commencement of presidential and national assembly campaigns, which started two weeks ago.
Some of the political parties and candidates that have experienced or have had their billboards vandalised by the suspected political thugs are the major opposition party, All Progressives Congress (APC); ruling party, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Social Democratic Party (SDP) and New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP).
These political parties have raised the alarm over the destruction of their billboards.
The political parties expressed mixed feelings over those responsible for the destruction.
While the PDP has continued to blame the major opposition party, APC, for vandalising its billboards, the opposition parties such as APC, SDP, and NNPP have continued to blame the members of the ruling party for the destruction of their billboards
