“Abia Fixes ₦200m For Presidential Campaign Ads, ₦150m For Gov Candidates” — Fees Spark Legal Concerns

The Abia State Government has approved a ₦200 million political campaign advertising permit fee for presidential candidates seeking to display billboards, posters and other outdoor campaign materials in the state ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Under the approved schedule, governorship candidates will pay ₦150 million, senatorial candidates ₦100 million, House of Representatives candidates ₦50 million, while candidates for the Abia State House of Assembly will pay ₦20 million. The payments are expected to cover the approved election campaign period.

The rates were announced on Wednesday during a stakeholders’ forum on political campaign advertising organised by the Abia State Structures for Signages and Advertising Agency in Aba.

The forum, themed “Order in Outdoors: Partnership for Safe Campaigns, Sustainable Revenue and a Cleaner Abia,” brought together government officials, representatives of political parties and stakeholders in the outdoor advertising industry.

Ndubuisi Nwaogwugwu, an official of ABSSAA, said the permit fees would apply to candidates seeking elective offices at all levels in Abia State.

He explained that the charges were backed by the law establishing the agency and other applicable 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 stated that presidential candidates would pay ₦200 million, governorship candidates ₦150 million, senatorial candidates ₦100 million, House of Representatives candidates ₦50 million and State House of Assembly candidates ₦20 million.

The Director-General of the Abia State Strategic Communications Bureau, Onyebuchi Ememanka, said the approved charges were intended to regulate outdoor political advertising, protect road users and preserve the appearance of communities across the state.

Ememanka maintained that the government would apply the rules equally to all political parties and candidates without discrimination.

According to him, any candidate or political party that follows the guidelines, secures the necessary approval and pays the stipulated fee would be allowed to advertise in approved outdoor spaces.

He said the regulations were aimed at preventing indiscriminate placement of campaign materials, protecting lives on the roads and promoting a cleaner and more orderly campaign environment.

The government also warned that campaign billboards that fail to meet approval standards or pose a danger to the public could be removed by the agency.

However, the Out-of-Home Advertising Association of Nigeria objected to the charges, describing them as excessive and unsustainable.

The association’s president, Sola Akinsiku, warned that the rates could discourage candidates and political parties from using outdoor advertising, thereby weakening voter education and political participation.

Akinsiku, who was represented at the forum by the association’s treasurer, Chinweuba Nwagu, called for further engagement between the government, advertising practitioners and political parties.

“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.

The association argued that charges of that magnitude could reduce demand for billboards and posters, damage the outdoor advertising industry and contribute to poor voter awareness, apathy and disenfranchisement.

It urged the state government to reconsider the rates in light of Nigeria’s economic realities and the financial limitations confronting candidates, political parties and advertising businesses.

Abia State Chairman of the African Democratic Congress, Kalu Kalu, said the party would comply with the payment requirement only where it was validly supported by the law governing the state advertising agency.

Kalu, however, questioned the constitutional and legal basis for the state agency’s collection of the fees, arguing that responsibility for outdoor advertising permits and related levies belongs to local governments.

He said relevant Supreme Court decisions had affirmed the constitutional authority of local governments to collect such charges.

The ADC chairman further argued that any state law conflicting with the Electoral Act or imposing unreasonable financial barriers on political participation could be subjected to legal challenge.

According to him, requiring a presidential candidate to pay ₦200 million in each of Nigeria’s 36 states would amount to about ₦7.2 billion for outdoor advertising permits alone.

Kalu maintained that such an arrangement could not withstand legal scrutiny if it undermined statutory campaign expenditure limits or prevented candidates without substantial financial resources from reaching voters.