As political camps mobilise ahead of 2027, printers, designers, and branding firms report a surge in orders running into millions of naira
Small and medium-scale printing and branding businesses across Kano are recording a sharp rise in patronage as politicians, aspirants and their supporters intensify preparations for the 2027 general election, with operators disclosing that a single political event can now generate between N150,000 and N2 million in orders, depending on scale.
A market survey conducted by THE WHISTLER across major printing clusters in the state, including Sabon Gari, Bompai and Zoo Road, showed that demand for campaign posters, banners, flyers, branded T-shirts, caps, stickers, vehicle wraps and souvenirs has risen significantly in recent months, as political camps step up mobilisation ahead of party primaries and consultations.
A printer based in Sabon Gari, Ibrahim Danladi, said his workshop, which previously depended largely on weddings, naming ceremonies, and corporate jobs, now receives at least three to five political orders weekly.
He said a standard 6ft by 4ft campaign banner currently sells for between N8,000 and N15,000, depending on material quality, while branded T-shirts range from N3,500 to N5000 per piece, and campaign caps sell for between N1500 and N3000.
“For a mid-sized consultation event, a candidate can spend close to N500,000 on banners, T-shirts and caps alone,” Danladi noted, adding that bulk orders from aspirants seeking wider name recognition sometimes push a single job above N1m.
Another operator in the Bompai axis, Chukwuemeka Obi, in an interview with THE WHISTLER, said the political demand had created a ripple effect for artisans linked to the value chain, including graphic designers, machine operators, tailors and branding assistants, some of whom now earn between N30,000 and N80,000 weekly from political jobs alone, up from an average of N15,000 during off-peak periods.
He, however, noted that the cost of raw materials, including flex banner rolls, inks and fabric, had risen by about 25 to 40 percent in the past year, squeezing profit margins despite the surge in orders.
“We are making more sales, but our input costs have also gone up, so the real profit increase is not as high as the order volume suggests,” Mr Obi said.
A branding entrepreneur, Fatima Nuhu, who runs a design and event branding outfit, told THE WHISTLER that requests for coordinated political branding packages, covering event backdrops, banners, souvenirs and vehicle branding, had grown steadily since the start of the year.
She said a full branding package for a political consultation, including design, printing and installation, now costs between N300,000 and N1.2m depending on the scope of the event, and that the rising demand had pushed her to invest in a new large-format printer to handle urgent bulk orders.
Findings from the THE WHISTLER survey indicate that the pre-election boom is also boosting allied sectors such as tailoring, transportation, and event logistics, as branding firms subcontract aspects of large orders to meet tight deadlines.
However, some residents have raised concerns over the unregulated display of campaign materials across the state.
A resident of Kano metropolis, Aisha Bello, who spoke to THE WHISTLER, called on political actors and regulatory agencies to enforce existing rules guiding the placement of posters and banners, warning against the defacement of public buildings and walls.
Industry operators say patronage is expected to rise further as political parties move closer to primaries and full-scale campaigns, positioning the printing and branding sector as one of the early economic beneficiaries of the 2027 election cycle in Kano.
