N150m Campaign Advert Permit: Tension as Popular Gov Dragged
- African Action Congress governorship candidate Doris Ogala openly defied Abia State's new ₦150 million campaign advertising permit requirement
- Ogala visited the agency behind the directive and challenged officials to remove her billboards if she refused to pay the fee
- The Abia State Structures for Signages and Advertising Agency defended the policy, saying all political parties were invited to a stakeholders' meeting before the announcement
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The African Action Congress (AAC) governorship candidate in Abia State, Doris Ogala, has publicly refused to pay a ₦150 million campaign advertising permit fee introduced by the state government, daring authorities to pull down her billboards if they choose to act on the directive.
The actress-turned-politician made her position clear on Thursday during a visit to the Abia State Structures for Signages and Advertising Agency (ABSSAA), the body that announced the policy, which she described as a deliberate move to squeeze out opposition candidates ahead of the 2027 elections.
Source: Twitter
Abia: What the permit requires
Under the new ABSSAA directive, governorship candidates must pay ₦150 million for a campaign advertising permit. Presidential candidates face a ₦200 million charge, senatorial candidates ₦100 million, House of Representatives candidates ₦50 million, and state House of Assembly candidates ₦20 million.
The agency said the fees apply to all political parties without exception, and that the policy is meant to regulate outdoor political advertising, ensure public safety, and provide equal access to campaign spaces. Critics have raised concerns that the charges could effectively shut smaller parties and independent-minded candidates out of outdoor electioneering.
Ogala's challenge to the Abia government
Speaking directly at the agency's office, Ogala said she had no means of raising such an amount and accused Governor Alex Otti's administration of engineering the policy to sideline her candidacy.
She said:
"I dare anybody to try to touch my billboard. We can't pay with that billboard in this state. This is targeted at me. Otti is afraid of me."
Ogala called on the governor to withdraw the directive entirely, warning that candidates would have no choice but to abandon billboard advertising altogether if the policy stood.
She also questioned the timing, pointing to struggling pensioners, hospital patients, and homeless residents as evidence that the government's priorities were misplaced.
Agency stands by the policy
The Head of the Department of Administration at ABSSAA pushed back on Ogala's claims, saying the directive followed a proper consultation process.
This is coming ahead of the governorship election scheduled to hold in the February 2027 general elections by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Source: Legit.ng
