Abia 2027: Ijioma slams Otti over ‘outrageous’ outdoor advertising fees

The governorship candidate of the Action Peoples Party (APP) in Abia State, Major General Ijioma Nwokoro Ijioma (retd.), has blasted Governor Alex Otti over the N150 million signage fee reportedly imposed on governorship candidates ahead of the 2027 election.

Ijioma, a former Director of Military Operations in the Northeast, described the charge as excessive and threatened legal action

He alleged that the fee could undermine political participation and create an uneven playing field ahead of the election.

The retired general spoke at a press conference in Umuahia ahead of the commencement of the governorship campaign.

According to him, the reported charges are N150 million for governorship candidates, N100 million for senatorial candidates, N50 million for House of Representatives candidates and N20 million for State House of Assembly candidates.

He challenged the state government to produce the law or legislative instrument authorising the charges, alleging that the Abia State House of Assembly had not passed any law approving them.

“I want to make it clear here and now that that very policy is condemnable. I condemn it in its totality and it will not stand,” he said.

“I have done my research concerning this signage something. It wasn’t an Act of Parliament. The Abia State House of Assembly never passed any law concerning this.

“So it is illegal for the governor to sit down and want to shut out the political space in Abia, and we will resist it vehemently.”

Ijioma further questioned the rationale for what he described as a sharp increase in the fee, alleging that Otti paid N10 million in signage fees when he contested the 2023 governorship election.

“How can somebody who paid a paltry N10 million for the same signage fee come and say it will be N150 million in 2027?” he asked.

The APP candidate warned against using public office to restrict political participation, saying the state belonged to its people and not any individual or administration.

“Nobody that is a governor owns the state. You are holding the reins on behalf of the people and you cannot get there and begin to lord it over the people. It is reprehensible,” he said.

Ijioma said the APP would seek judicial intervention if the government failed to reverse the policy.

“If he doesn’t heed to caution, this party that I’m holding the governorship ticket of will take the government of Abia State to court to show us the Act of Parliament that empowered it to bring such an obnoxious and vexatious policy to scuttle democracy in Abia State,” he said.

The retired general also questioned the level of publicity surrounding the achievements of the Otti administration, although he acknowledged that the governor had performed better than some previous administrations in certain areas.

“Yes, Alex Otti has performed better than the previous government in some areas. You wouldn’t deny him that.

“But the hype in the media far outstrips the performance and the reality on the ground,” he said.

Ijioma declared that he would outperform Otti if elected governor in 2027, promising a government focused on transparency, accountability and improving the welfare of residents.

“I’m a much better alternative. I maintain it, that I will outperform the Otti administration when I am elected next year,” he said.

“I will run a government that will feel the impact of its policies on the people that they are governing.”

The APP candidate also challenged the state government to account for federal allocations accruing to Abia since Otti assumed office in May 2023.

Ijioma alleged that Abia had received more than N1 trillion in Federation Account allocations between May 2023 and June 2026.

He also claimed that the state’s 17 local government areas had collectively received more than N178 billion in direct allocations during the period.

He said the figures were compiled from data published by the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC), and challenged anyone disputing the figures to verify them.