The Abia State Government has announced a new political campaign advertising permit that will require presidential candidates seeking to use billboards and posters in the state to pay ₦200 million.
The new charges were unveiled on Wednesday by the Head of the Abia State Structures for Signages and Advertising Agency (ABSSAA), Ndubuisi Nwaogwugwu, during a stakeholders’ forum on political campaign advertising charges held in Aba.
Under the approved schedule, governorship candidates will pay ₦150 million, senatorial candidates ₦100 million, House of Representatives candidates ₦50 million, and state House of Assembly candidates ₦20 million.
Nwaogwugwu said the rates would apply to all candidates contesting elective offices in the state during the approved election campaign period.
According to him, the permit requirement is backed by the laws establishing ABSSAA and other existing Abia State regulations governing signage and outdoor advertising.
“The schedule of political campaign advertising permit fees contained herein has been approved by the government of Abia state and applied throughout the approved election campaign period,” Nwaogwugwu said.
He maintained that the policy was designed to regulate outdoor political advertising in line with the agency’s statutory mandate.
Similar campaign advertising permit regimes have also been introduced by some other states, although at significantly different rates.
Anambra fixed a ₦50 million permit fee for presidential candidates, while Enugu announced a ₦150 million charge for political campaign advertising.
However, the announcement was met with stiff resistance from the Out-of-Home Advertising Association of Nigeria (OAAN), which described the fees as excessive and potentially harmful to the industry.
Speaking on behalf of the association, its Treasurer, Chinweuba Nwagu, who represented OAAN President Sola Akinsiku, said the charges were unsustainable and could discourage political advertising, thereby limiting voter education and participation.
“We believe there should be more robust engagement, respect for superior viewpoints and a soft landing so as not to kill outdoor advertising in Abia,” he said.
OAAN urged the Abia State Government to reopen consultations with stakeholders and review the proposed charges before implementation.
The association had earlier emphasised the need for fair and responsible regulation of outdoor political advertising as Nigeria heads into another election cycle.
The policy also attracted political reactions.
Chairman of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Abia State, Kalu Kalu, said the party would comply with the directive if it was validly backed by the state’s advertising laws.
He, however, argued that the Constitution assigns the responsibility for collecting such fees to local governments rather than state agencies.
Kalu further contended that any law requiring a presidential candidate to spend about ₦7.2 billion on outdoor advertising permits across the 36 states would likely conflict with the Electoral Act and fail constitutional scrutiny.
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