- African Democratic Congress has threatened legal action over the N150m advertising permit fee imposed by Enugu State for political campaigns
- The fee, introduced by Enugu State Structures for Signage and Advertisement Agency, applies to campaign materials, billboards, and branded vehicles
- The agency claimed the policy aims to curb visual pollution and maintain outdoor advertising standards.
- ADC describes the fee as “draconian” and an attempt to stifle opposition participation in elections
The African Democratic Congress has threatened legal action against Enugu State following the introduction of a mandatory N150 million advertising permit fee for political parties ahead of the 2026 and 2027 elections.
The party’s reaction followed an announcement by the Enugu State Structures for Signage and Advertisement Agency, which stated that all political parties and candidates must pay the fee before deploying campaign materials, branding vehicles, or erecting billboards.
During a management meeting at the agency’s headquarters in Enugu, the General Manager, Mr Francis Aninwike, said the directive aligns with the agency’s statutory mandate to regulate outdoor advertising and maintain environmental aesthetics across the 17 local government areas of the state.
He explained that the payment would grant parties permission to deploy campaign materials, including banners, branded vehicles, T-shirts, and handbills, as well as conduct street campaigns and rallies.
“The statutory fee for the permit is N150m, payable to the Enugu State Government account.
“Every political party and candidate must obtain a campaign permit from ENSSAA before deploying any form of visual campaign or outdoor promotional materials.” the statement read.
Aninwike stated that the measure was intended to prevent visual pollution, protect public infrastructure, and maintain professional advertising standards during the election period.
He further warned that non-compliance would result in the removal of campaign materials and potential legal sanctions.
To address concerns of bias, he insisted the guidelines would apply uniformly to all candidates, including incumbents.
According to him, Governor Peter Mbah had previously complied with the agency’s regulations in his official activities.
The agency also cautioned supporters against defacing opponents’ campaign materials, describing such actions as undemocratic and punishable under the law.
Reacting to the policy, ADC chairman for Igbo-Eze South and Chairman of Chairmen for Enugu North Senatorial Zone, Ugwu Izuchukwu, condemned the fee as an attempt to stifle opposition.
He alleged that the government intended to dominate the visual landscape and use financial barriers to limit opposition participation.
“They want to use that to scare opposition political parties away so that they can win, but those antics will hold no water,” he said.
“For me as a party, I am ready to take them to court because you cannot impose N150m on political parties and their candidates for them to campaign or brand their vehicles. This is anti-democratic.”
Izuchukwu further claimed that the administration sought to use state resources to outspend opposition parties in outdoor advertising.
“But one thing is sacrosanct: erecting billboards or branding vehicles doesn’t win an election. He can erect all the billboards he can, but he is going to fail because of his anti-people policies,” he added.
He maintained that opposition members would not be intimidated or forced out of the political space.
“We are not slaves in Enugu State; we have equal rights with him. We cannot run away because we are in opposition,” he said.
“It is not going to work. We are going to use every legal means available to stop what they have announced today.”