The Gombe State Urban Planning and Development Authority (GOSUPDA) has said it demolished the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) campaign office in the state for contravening development laws.

GOSUPDA said it acted within the confines of the law, noting that the building violated the initial master plan of the state originally planned since the creation of the state in 1996.

This was disclosed by the Executive Chairman of GOSUPDA, Captain Peter Bilal (Rtd), while addressing newsmen shortly after supervising the demolition of the building which was converted into a campaign office of the PDP governorship candidate in Gombe State, Mohammed Jibrin Barde.

Bilal further stated that the authority in the discharge of its statutory responsibilities as enshrined in section 27 of the Gombe State Urban Planning and Development 2011, approached the construction site and served it with stop and demolition notice.

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The GOSUPDA chairman added that the administration of Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya was committed to the entrenchment of law and order in the state, saying it would not fold its hands and “allow actions of some individuals or groups that are capable of disturbing the existing peace of the state.”

He stressed that GOSUPDA demolished Barde’s office because the building contravened development laws, adding that the agency’s work and operations are not based on directives from any political party or figure, but in line with the provisions of its established laws.

When contacted, the PDP governorship candidate said the move to demolish his office was politically motivated.

Barde, however, said he would pursue the matter in the court.

It would be recalled that the demolition of the PDP governorship candidate’s office generated political tension which some journalists, including the arrest of a correspondent of the African Independent Television (AIT) by the police at the demolition scene.

The Star