2027: Enugu Govt Imposes ₦150m Advert Permit For Political Campaigns

The Enugu State Government has imposed N150 million as mandatory advertising permit for political parties and candidates participating in the 2026 and 2027 local, state and federal elections.

General Manager, Enugu State Structures for Signage and Advertisement Agency, ENSSAA, Francis Aninwike, spoke to reporters after a management meeting at the agency’s headquarters in Enugu Monday.

According to him, the directive was in line with ENSSAA’s statutory mandate to regulate outdoor advertising.

In a statementt titled, “Outdoor Promotion and Visual Campaign Guidelines for 2026 and 2027 General Elections,” Aninwike said the adjustment was "To ensure orderliness, environmental aesthetics and lawful conduct of campaign activities across the state’s 17 local government areas.” 

He further explained that the N150 million permit granted political parties and candidates the right to deploy campaign materials and engage in visual promotions, adding that these included 

rallies, banners, branded vehicles, T-shirts, caps, handbills, buntings, and street campaigns across both urban and rural areas.

“Every political party and candidate must obtain a campaign permit from ENSSAA before deploying any form of visual campaign or outdoor promotional materials.

“The statutory fee for the permit is N150 million, payable to the Enugu State Government account...

“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 ENSSAA,” he added.

According to him, the permit was designed to prevent visual pollution; ensure a level playing field; maintain professional standards in outdoor advertising; and protect public infrastructure.

Aninwike then, warned that parties or candidates who failed to comply would have their campaign materials removed and could face legal sanctions.

He further clarified that only practitioners registered and licensed by the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria, ARCON, were authorised to erect and manage billboards or campaign structures within the state, 

cautioning against defacing opponents’ campaign materials, describing such actions as undemocratic and punishable under the law.

He also, asked political parties and supporters to conduct campaigns responsibly, stressing that elections should not be treated as a “do-or-die affair,” but as a democratic process that allows citizens to fulfill their civic obligations, just as he dismissed allegations of possible selective enforcement, insisting that the guidelines would apply uniformly to all candidates and parties, including incumbents.