The Cross River State Signage and Advertisement Agency (CRISSAA) is facing backlash from a coalition of opposition parties who have rejected the released rates for election candidates seeking to run outdoor campaign advertisements in Cross River State ahead of the 2027 general election. The opposition declared these permit rates as excessive and capable of shutting out less-funded candidates.
CRISSAA had released the tarrifs for various levels as follows: presidential candidates N150 million, governorship candidates N100 million, senatorial candidates N50 million, House of Representatives candidates N25 million and State House of Assembly candidates N5 million. The agency’s Director-General, Ubong Sam, disclosed the figures during a session with the Inter-Party Advisory Council in Calabar, describing the rates as moderate when compared with those in neighbouring states.
A coalition of 12 political parties operating under the Coalition of Opposition Political Parties (COPP) has since written to CRISSAA rejecting the charges, describing them as outrageous, insensitive and unacceptable. The coalition, whose statement was signed by state chairmen of parties including the ZLP, YPP, PRP, ACCORD, AAC, NNPP, SDP, PDP and LP, argued that the fees could put political participation out of reach for opposition and less financially buoyant candidates.
The group said political advertising was central to democratic participation, allowing candidates to communicate their policies and programmes to voters, and warned that charges of that scale could tilt the playing field ahead of the 2027 polls in favour of wealthier parties.
COPP demanded that CRISSAA explain the legal basis for the tariffs, the method used to arrive at the figures, and why political parties were not consulted before the rates were announced. It also asked for clarity on what services and time period each fee covers.
The coalition called on the Cross River State government and CRISSAA to suspend the tariffs immediately and open discussions with all registered political parties and other stakeholders before any charges take effect.
In a similar development, the Youth Party of Nigeria (YPP) has also publicly opposed the N150 million fee, warning that it could turn political competition into an exclusive privilege of the wealthy.
CRISSAA has maintained that the new rates are meant to regulate political advertising, encourage issue-based campaigning and ensure compliance with existing guidelines, and has directed that all campaign materials be removed within 30 days of the announcement of election results.
