The Abia State Government has introduced a ₦200 million permit fee for presidential candidates wishing to use billboards, posters, and other outdoor advertising for campaigns in the state.
The fee was announced on Wednesday in Aba by the Abia State Structures for Signages and Advertising Agency (ABSSAA) during a stakeholders' forum themed "Order in Outdoors: Partnership for Safe Campaigns, Sustainable Revenue and A Cleaner Abia."
ABSSAA's Head of Strategy, Innovation and Design, Ndubuisi Nwaogwugwu, said 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 designed to regulate outdoor political campaigns, ensure order, and guarantee equal access to advertising spaces for all parties, provided they comply with the guidelines.
However, the Out-of-Home Advertising Association of Nigeria (OAAN) criticised the rates as excessive and unsustainable, while the Abia chapter of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) questioned the legal basis for the charges, noting that Supreme Court rulings assign such fee collection to local governments.
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