Abia Fixes Campaign Permit Fees, Sets N200m Charge for Presidential Candidates

Abia State Government has announced new political campaign advertising permit fees, requiring presidential candidates to pay N200 million before displaying campaign billboards and posters across the state.

The new rates were unveiled on Wednesday by the Head of the Abia State Structures for Signages and Advertising Agency (ABSSAA), Ndubuisi Nwaogwugwu, during a stakeholders’ forum on political campaign advertising charges held in Aba.

Under the approved schedule, governorship candidates will pay N150 million, while senatorial candidates are to pay N100 million for campaign advertising permits.

Candidates contesting seats in the House of Representatives will pay N50 million, while those seeking election into the Abia State House of Assembly are expected to pay N20 million.

Nwaogwugwu said the charges apply to all candidates seeking elective offices in the state and are backed by the laws establishing ABSSAA, as well as existing state regulations governing outdoor advertising and signage.

“The schedule of political campaign advertising permit fees contained herein has been approved by the Government of Abia State and shall apply throughout the approved election campaign period,” he said.

The announcement, however, drew criticism from the Out-of-Home Advertising Association of Nigeria (OAAN), which described the fees as excessive and capable of discouraging political advertising.

Speaking on behalf of the association, its treasurer, Chinweuba Nwagu, who represented OAAN President Sola Akinsiku, urged the state government to engage stakeholders further and review the charges.

He warned that the high fees could negatively affect voter education and participation while hurting the outdoor advertising industry in the state.

“We believe there should be more robust engagement, respect for superior viewpoints and a soft landing so as not to kill outdoor advertising in Abia,” he said.

Also reacting, the Chairman of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Abia State, Kalu Kalu, said the party would comply with the directive if it was validly backed by law.

However, he argued that the Constitution empowers local governments to collect such fees and questioned the legality of imposing charges that could require a presidential candidate to spend an estimated N7.2 billion on campaign advertising permits across the 36 states.