Enugu Govt Fixes ₦150m Advert Permit For 2027 Polls

The Enugu State Structures for Signage and Advertisement Agency (ENSSAA) has approved a compulsory ₦150m advertising permit for political parties ahead of the 2026 and 2027 local, state, and federal elections.

This was stated by the agency’s General Manager, Mr Francis Aninwike, in Enugu on Monday.

He said the directive was in line with ENSSAA’s statutory mandate to regulate outdoor advertising and ensure orderliness, environmental aesthetics, and lawful conduct of campaign activities across the state’s 17 local government areas.

He said the ₦150m permit grants political parties and candidates the right to deploy campaign materials and engage in visual promotions, including rallies, banners, branded vehicles, T-shirts, caps, handbills, buntings, and street campaigns across both urban and rural areas.

Quoting him, “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 ₦150 million, payable to the Enugu State Government account.”

He said the permit was aimed at preventing visual pollution, ensure a level playing field, maintain professional standards in outdoor advertising, and protect public infrastructure.

He warned that parties or candidates who fail to comply would have their campaign materials removed and could face legal sanctions. Anikwe clarified that only practitioners registered and licensed by the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON) are authorized to erect and manage billboards or campaign structures within the state.

In his words, “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.”

The agency warned against defacing opponents’ campaign materials, describing such actions as undemocratic and punishable under the law. He advised political parties and supporters to conduct campaigns responsibly, noting 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.

Anikwe dismissed allegations of possible selective enforcement, maintaining that the guidelines would apply uniformly to all candidates and parties, including incumbents, adding that Governor Peter Mbah has consistently complied with advertising regulations in all his campaign and official promotional activities.