The Abia State Government has approved new political campaign advertising permit fees for candidates seeking elective offices in the 2027 general elections, with presidential candidates expected to pay ₦200 million for billboard and poster campaigns in the state.

The new fee structure, announced by the Head of the Abia State Structures for Signages and Advertising Agency (ABSSAA), Ndubuisi Nwaogwugwu, at a stakeholders’ forum in Aba, also fixes permit fees at ₦150 million for governorship candidates, ₦100 million for senatorial candidates, ₦50 million for House of Representatives candidates and ₦20 million for candidates contesting seats in the State House of Assembly.

Nwaogwugwu said the charges were approved by the state government and are backed by the laws establishing ABSSAA and existing regulations governing outdoor advertising in Abia.

The announcement, however, drew criticism from the Out-of-Home Advertising Association of Nigeria (OAAN), which described the fees as excessive. Representing OAAN President Sola Akinsiku, the association’s treasurer, Chinweuba Nwagu, urged the state government to review the charges, warning that they could discourage political advertising and negatively affect voter education.

Similarly, the Chairman of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Abia, Kalu Kalu, said the party would comply if the fees were legally backed. He, however, argued that the Constitution assigns the collection of such levies to local governments and questioned the legality of any policy that could significantly increase campaign costs for candidates nationwide.