KINGSTON, Jamaica — The People’s National Party (PNP) is calling on the Mayor of Montego Bay, Councillor Richard Vernon, to immediately cease and desist from what it described as the unlawful removal and destruction of PNP advertising boards and other paraphernalia in the parish, particularly Montego Bay.

In a statement on Tuesday, PNP General Secretary Dr Dayton Campbell said the mayor and his Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) counterparts seemed determined to turn a blind eye to the law in what he said is a desperate attempt to intimidate and frustrate PNP candidates by using the municipal police to remove posters around the city on the basis that they were erected without approval.

Campbell, however, noted that the Town and Country Planning (Control of Advertising) Regulations provide that advertising relating specifically to an independent parliamentary or local election may be undertaken without the express consent of the municipal authority.

He said the party believes the mayor is aware of the exemption “and can only assume that he is using his misguided authority for purely partisan purposes”.

“The PNP, therefore, calls upon Mayor Vernon to cease his unlawful activities and return the posters and advertising boards to the candidates, with an appropriate apology,” Campbell asserted.

Campbell maintained that it was established practice, supported by law, that during the lead-up to an election, political parties are allowed to erect posters and signs advertising their candidates. He said this practice has always proceeded without incident, even during the 2024 Local Government elections.

Campbell added that the party’s legal team has been in dialogue with the Electoral Commission of Jamaica, in its capacity as the Political Ombudsman, for a clear and urgent ruling.