Abia Sparks Controversy With ₦200m Billboard Fee for Presidential Candidates

(Alex Otti. Photo by Leadership News)

A ₦200 million permit fee has been imposed by the Abia State Government for presidential candidates who plan to utilize billboards, posters, and other outdoor marketing during their campaigns in the state. 

The Abia State Structures for Signages and Advertising Agency (ABSSAA) announced the fee on Wednesday in Aba at a stakeholder forum with the topic “Order in Outdoors: Partnership for Safe Campaigns, Sustainable Revenue and A Cleaner Abia.”

According to the Abia State Signage and Advertisement Agency’s Head of Strategy, Innovation and Design, Ndubuisi Nwaogwugwu.

The approved fee schedule also includes ₦150 million for governorship candidates, ₦100 million for senatorial candidates, ₦50 million for House of Representatives candidates, and ₦20 million for House of Assembly candidates.

The government said the policy is aimed at regulating outdoor political campaigns, maintaining order, and ensuring all parties have equal access to advertising spaces without discrimination, provided they comply with the guidelines.

However, the Out-of-Home Advertising Association of Nigeria has opposed the rates, describing them as excessive and unsustainable.

While the Abia chapter of the African Democratic Congress has questioned the legal basis for the charges, arguing that Supreme Court rulings assign the collection of such fees to local governments.