Abia, ABSAA Impose N200m Billboard Permit Fee For Presidential Candidates As Industry Stakeholders, Others Kick

Ahead of the 2027 general elections, the Abia State Government, through the Abia State Structures for Signages and Advertising Agency (ABSSAA), has imposed a N200 million political campaign advertising permit fee for every presidential candidate seeking to campaign with billboards and posters in the state, a decision that that has drawn opposition from stakeholders in the advertising industry and political parties.

The fee schedule was unveiled recently in Aba during a Stakeholders’ Forum on Political Campaign Advertising Fees, themed “Order in Outdoors: Partnership for Safe Campaigns, Sustainable Revenue and A Cleaner Abia.”

The government also fixed permit fees of N150 million for governorship candidates, N100 million for senatorial candidates, N50 million for House of Representatives candidates and N20 million for candidates seeking election into the State House of Assembly.

Speaking at the forum, the Head of Department, Strategy, Innovation and Design at ABSSAA, Ndubuisi Nwaogwugwu, said the permit rates apply to candidates of all political parties and are backed by the laws establishing the agency and other relevant Abia State laws regulating outdoor advertising.

According to him, “Presidential candidates will pay N200 million, governorship candidates N150 million, senatorial candidates N100 million, House of Representatives candidates N50 million and State House of Assembly candidates N20 million.

“The schedule of Political Campaign Advertising Permit Fees contained herein has been approved by the Government of Abia State and shall apply throughout the approved election campaign period.”

Also speaking, the Director-General of the Abia State Strategic Communications Bureau, Sir Onyebuchi Ememanka, described the permit schedule as non-negotiable, insisting that it was designed to ensure orderliness and public safety rather than target any political party.

He said the policy was aimed at protecting lives on the roads, preserving the aesthetics of cities and safeguarding the integrity of the democratic process. He also stated that Governor Alex Otti’s administration remained committed to providing a level playing field for all political parties.

He added that compliance with the guidelines would help ensure a peaceful, organised and mature campaign environment capable of setting new standards for political engagement in the state.

However, the Out-of-Home Advertising Association of Nigeria (OAAN) expressed reservations over the fee schedule.

Representing the association’s President, Dr. Sola Akinsiku, OAAN Treasurer Chinweuba Nwagu said while the association supported partnership, fairness and regulatory compliance, the proposed rates were unsustainable given prevailing economic realities.

He warned that the charges could significantly reduce political advertising, weaken voter education, increase voter apathy and ultimately undermine the democratic process.

Nwagu urged the state government to engage stakeholders further and review the fees to avoid crippling the outdoor advertising industry in Abia.

Similarly, the Abia State Chairman of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Kalu Kalu, questioned the legal basis for the charges.

He said the party would comply only if the fees were expressly backed by the law establishing ABSSAA, but argued that if no such provision existed, the policy should be withdrawn.

Kalu also maintained that the Supreme Court had, in previous judgments, held that the responsibility for collecting outdoor advertising permit fees rests with local governments as provided by the Constitution.

According to him, any law that conflicts with the Electoral Act or imposes what he described as excessive financial burdens on political parties would be difficult to sustain.