The Abia State Government’s newly approved political campaign advertising permit fees have sparked outrage among opposition parties, particularly the All Progressives Congress (APC). However, the controversy has also revived memories of a similar dispute during the 2022 election season when the then-opposition Labour Party (LP) accused the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)-led administration of imposing hefty billboard charges and suppressing its campaign activities.
Under the new fee schedule announced by the Abia State Structures for Signages and Advertising Agency (ABSSAA), presidential candidates will pay ₦200 million for campaign advertising permits, governorship candidates ₦150 million, senatorial candidates ₦100 million, House of Representatives candidates ₦50 million, and House of Assembly candidates ₦20 million.
The fees, unveiled during a stakeholders’ forum in Aba themed “Order in Outdoors: Partnership for Safe Campaigns, Sustainable Revenue and A Cleaner Abia,” have drawn criticism from opposition parties, with many describing the charges as excessive and capable of stifling political participation.
Flashback to 2022
The latest debate has inevitably brought back the events of the 2022 governorship campaign, when the Labour Party, then in opposition, raised similar concerns under the PDP administration.
At the time, the Abia State Signage and Advertisement Agency (ABSAA) introduced a ₦10 million mandatory fee for governorship candidates wishing to display campaign billboards across the state.
Despite paying the prescribed amount, the Labour Party alleged that its campaign billboard located along the Aba-Port Harcourt Expressway at Umuikaa Junction was removed by government agents.
In a statement issued by the spokesman of the Alex Otti Campaign Organisation, Ferdinand Ekeoma, the party insisted it complied fully with the regulations.
“LP adhered strictly to all known guidelines for the mounting of campaign billboards as regulated by the Abia State Signage and Advertisement Agency (ABSAA), and also paid the required sum of ₦10 million to the state government.
“We are also aware that licenced vendors we contracted also paid the government all fees required to use their billboards for advertisements in Abia.”
The party described the removal of the billboard as an act of political intimidation and warned against actions capable of triggering political violence.
“We hope that those presiding over affairs of Abia, and who is responsible for this desperation-induced violence, would quickly realise that tomorrow is heavily pregnant and that there’s life outside politics. They must, therefore, retrace their steps for the sake of our state and our people,” Ekeoma had stated.
A Changed Political Landscape
Four years later, the political landscape has shifted dramatically.
The Labour Party now controls the Abia State Government, while many of the loudest critics of the new permit regime are members of the APC, including several politicians who previously belonged to the PDP during the period the 2022 billboard policy was implemented.
The development has prompted political observers to compare both situations, with some arguing that the current controversy reflects how political parties often reverse positions after changing roles from opposition to government, or vice versa.
Government Defends Policy
The Abia State Government has maintained that the new permit rates are designed to regulate outdoor political advertising, promote environmental orderliness, ensure safer campaign activities and enhance internally generated revenue.
According to ABSSAA, the charges apply uniformly to all political parties and candidates, irrespective of political affiliation.
Officials insist the policy is backed by the laws establishing the agency and governing outdoor advertising in the state, adding that no political party is being singled out.
The controversy has generated intense debate across the political spectrum, with supporters of the government arguing that every administration has the constitutional authority to regulate outdoor advertising and fix permit fees within the framework of the law.
