Enugu State government, through its Signage and Advertisement Agency, pegged a mandatory N150m advertising permit fee for political parties and candidates participating in the 2026 local government and 2027 general elections. With the failure of the opposition to comply, campaign posters, branded vehicles and billboards of only the ruling All Progressives Congress are visible at strategic parts of the state. The alternatives adopted by opposition candidates is the crux of this report by Chinedu Aroh
It’s Unfortunate, Onah
Hon Hillary Onah is the candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, for Udenu State Constituency in the Enugu State House of Assembly. Onah told our correspondent that denying the opposition the chance to display their campaign billboards is unfortunate. He said it amounts to a wrong trajectory which should not be allowed to fester.
“My candidature without a billboard is very unfortunate,” laments Onah. “This is the first time that this type of thing is happening in our state. It is also the first time that a ruling party is doing everything to stop the opposition from campaigning.”
Onah however remains optimistic that the electorate are in the best position to determine the winners. “I believe that my candidature has gone beyond posters and billboards,” expressed Onah. “It is in the hands of Udenu people. My people know us and understand our character. It will not affect my chances at the polls. The choice is theirs, and they know where they can always get us. I will win.”
He however admits that the development is a bad omen that may have some negative effects in the future. “I’m not comfortable as a person because such draconian policies can lead to something else. Political parties should entertain a healthy contest for all. In our case, no candidate should be comfortable with that. All of us should condemn this development in its entirety because of tomorrow. The state should allow the opposition to breathe.”
He said as an alternative, he has been touring every nook and cranny of his constituency to make up for his invisibility via outdoor advertorials. “I appeal to my people to remain steadfast. This forthcoming election is for a new Nigeria. Whether we like it or not, we can’t continue with this trajectory. It has to be checked. I am not just contesting because I want to be in the House of Assembly; I am contesting because the person that is representing us is not doing well. We have not seen any impactful bill he has sponsored. There are many things that Udenu people need, which we don’t see. Udenu has a borehole built by the colonial masters. It is not functional. That borehole is capable of supplying the entire communities in the LGA good water. Our representatives are just representing themselves. We need to change this set of leaders. We are coming to bring change.”
Electorate’s conviction in us more than posters, Amadi
Hon Agbo Amos Amadi is of the NDC. He is contesting for Nsukka West State Constituency in the state Assembly. Amadi says, “That we are restricted from branding our cars has nothing to do with the choice of the masses. Their belief in us is more important than posters and billboards. You can see what is happening in the North: the northerners are destroying campaign billboards of APC because of the suffering the party has subjected them to. Human hearts are more powerful than billboards. Nsukka West people are with us. They need no billboards to remind them about the demolition of Ogige Market, and the suffering that followed the act. The demolition of Ogige is the greatest shocker that ever happened in Nsukka under APC. This administration has watched roads constructed by former governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi destroyed by flood. This is hatred. What signposts do we need again? Our people are aware that NDC is the only party that will salvage them. Signposts will not affect our victory. We are doing the needful down to the grassroots. APC’s only plan is to rig elections, but they will meet the rock. We are only demanding credible election.”
We are visible everywhere without billboards, Ene
Ugochukwu Ene is NDC’s state Assembly candidate for Udi South in Udi LGA. He describes the billboard and outdoor campaign policy of the state as inhuman. According to him, “APC in Enugu State made a policy that each party will pay N150m before erecting a signpost. We have gone to court, and the verdict was not in our favour. We have appealed that judgement. We believe that the judgement of the Appeal Court will be favourable. Our presidential candidate, Mr Peter Obi, and our guber candidate, Sir Chinyeaka Ohaa, have made our work easier in Enugu State. We are visible everywhere without billboards. I reach out to the electorate directly. The billboards would have helped us in awareness creation. We would have used the billboards also to educate voters and encourage them to participate more because victory is ours. It would have made us more visible. We have eleven wards, and I have been reaching out to the voters. It has even become a blessing in disguise.”
He said not allowing the opposition to erect billboards enthrones unequal opportunities because “APC candidates flood everywhere with their billboards, and they have not shown us the N150m they paid”. He noted that such is unequal treatment, adding that, “we in the opposition have the vigour. The people are with us”.
It’s a blessing in disguise, Ugwu
Engr Chris Ugwu is of the African Democratic Congress, ADC. He is contesting for Udenu State Constituency in the state Assembly. For him, the punishment has become a blessing in disguise.
Quoting Ugwu, “Even though the policy is anti-people and targets to stifle opposition voices, I chose to focus my energy on pushing out my messages through other media channels. The ruling party will continue to do everything humanly possible to silence the voices of the opposition, but what they don’t know is that the masses will continue to support and empathize with the underdogs and oppressed. So, the negative billboard policy is now creating several opportunities for the opposition where we now use different innovative channels to pass our messages to our supporters. Their action is turning to a blessing for us.”
A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, John Ogbonna, said the absence of opposition parties in outdoor promos has nothing to do with the outcome of the 2027 polls in the state.
According to Ogbonna, “I was in the Labour Party during the 2023 general elections. LP won about 86 percent of positions in Enugu State. Most of the winners had no billboards. Names win. Again, the ruling party’s shortcomings make the electorate angle for options. Voters will shun APC, I can tell you. Yes, we do rural sensitisation, especially to educate the voters on our party logo. What we need is the unification of the opposition to ensure that rigging is impossible. Everything happens at the polling units. Outdoor campaigns have nothing to do to informed voters. Enugu people are informed.”
How it started
The General Manager of Enugu State Structures for Signage and Advertising Agency, Mr Francis Anikwe, had in February disclosed that the mandatory N150m advertising permit fee is in accordance with the agency’s statutory mandate to regulate outdoor advertising and to make sure that the beauty of environment across the 17 LGAs in the state is sustained.
He said the levy would grant the parties the opportunity to deploy their campaign banners, t-shirts, branded vehicles and flyers throughout the electioneering. Quoting him, “No individual, political party, or support group is permitted to erect billboards or advertisement structures in any part of Enugu State without going through licensed ARCON practitioners as permitted by ENSAA.”
Opposition going to court
The opposition parties rushed to court seeking the upturn of the policy. Their effort failed at the lower court as the Federal High Court, Enugu, dismissed their suit. Justice Mabel Segun-Bello held that it is within the legislative competence of the Enugu State House of Assembly to make laws on outdoor advertising and for ENSSAA to exercise powers donated to it by the state law.
The opposition has however appealed the ruling. The opposition party leaders challenging the verdict are the state chairmen of the Labour Party, Kingsley Ugwu; NDC’s Ibuchukwu Obetta; and the Social Democratic Party’s Magnus Ezea. The accused in the suit are the GM of ENSSAA, Francis Aninwike; Enugu State House of Assembly, Independent National Electoral Commission, Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria, and the Nigeria Police.
Among others, the complainants are asking for a declaration that it was unlawful for the Enugu State House of Assembly to make laws regulating the advertisement of political campaigns in the state.
Radio stations, social media are beneficiaries
A general manager of an Enugu-based radio station, on condition of anonymity, said opposition candidates have resorted to radio jingles. He said, “Our spaces are often pre-booked. We have not increased the fee per slot substantially, but the frequency is high. We are happy because we are making more gains. In every situation, there must be beneficiaries.”
Meletus Okeke is a content creator and ICT expert. He said most opposition candidates deploy social media to reach out to the electorate. “They record their videos and share on the various platforms. In fact, all the opposition candidates create social media group platforms everyday. I know one whose group platform has exceeded the required number of members. He has to create another one. It is paying off because they address their electorate directly. It is true that many voters may not be on social media platforms, but social media is helping them. They have learnt how to be content creators by force. Some use facebook accounts. It is also cheaper than paying N150m to the state.”
An advertising practitioner, Godwin Nnamani, told our correspondent that radio stations and newspapers remain the best options for the opposition candidates. “A slot costs around N12,000, and even less in most radio stations. So it is cheaper for them. It may be different in newspapers and televisions. For me, outdoor adverts won’t determine who wins the election.”
One of the governorship candidates in the state has also been very active on the social media. He posts his manifesto and campaign strategies on his facebook account, and receives daily feedback.
“Yes,” says his campaign director, “We utilise the platform very well. We interact with the electorate every hour. It is annoying to pay such amount to the state when I was told that APC did not pay anything. I’m happy that the deciders are the masses. Let’s watch the election day. You will see rejection of our current political office-holders because they are insensitive to the plights of the masses. Their lifestyle is anti-people.”
