Abia Imposes ₦200m Campaign Fee for Presidential Candidates, ₦150m for Governorship Aspirants
The Abia State Structure for Signage and Advertising Agency (ABSSAA) has announced a new campaign advertising fee regime for political parties and candidates ahead of the 2027 general elections, with presidential candidates required to pay ₦200 million to display campaign materials in the state’s advertising spaces.
The agency also fixed ₦150 million as the campaign advertising fee for governorship candidates, while senatorial candidates will pay ₦100 million. Candidates contesting for the House of Representatives are to pay ₦50 million, while those seeking election into the State House of Assembly will pay ₦20 million.
The new fee structure was unveiled on Wednesday in Aba by the Director of Strategy and Innovation of ABSSAA, Ndubuisi Nwogwugwu, during the agency’s 2026 Stakeholders’ Engagement Forum.
According to Nwogwugwu, the fees will cover the entire campaign and election period. He added that House of Assembly candidates who are unable to pay the approved fee may opt for a joint campaign billboard, where their photographs can be displayed beneath that of their party’s governorship candidate.
The agency also warned that it would remove or revoke any political billboard that fails to comply with approved regulations or poses a threat to public safety, peace and the environment.
Speaking at the forum, the Director-General of the Abia State Bureau of Strategic Communication, Onyebuchi Ememanka, defended the policy, insisting that the fees were not introduced to suppress opposition parties or limit political participation.
He maintained that the charges apply equally to all political parties and candidates, describing the policy as a regulatory measure rather than a political tool.
However, the Chairman of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Abia State, Kalu Kalu, rejected the new fee regime, arguing that it contravenes provisions of the Electoral Act, particularly those relating to campaign expenditure limits and the principle of a level playing field for all contestants.
The announcement comes amid growing debate over campaign advertising charges, with several states introducing similar policies ahead of the 2027 general elections, a development that has continued to attract criticism from opposition parties and political stakeholders.