Makinde, APM challenge Abia’s N200m campaign billboard fee in court
By Adejayan Gbenga
Oyo State Governor and presidential candidate of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), Seyi Makinde, and the party have sued Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, over an alleged N200 million campaign fee imposed on presidential candidates seeking to display campaign materials in the state.
The suit, marked HU/214/2026, was filed on September 17 before the Abia State High Court, Umuahia Judicial Division, by the plaintiffs’ legal team led by Musibau Adetunbi, SAN, alongside Ire Egert-Olusesi, Ridwan Azeez, Oluwabusola Oluwaniyi and Joseph Lukman of Musibau Adetunbi, SAN & Co., Ibadan.
Makinde and the APM joined the Abia State attorney-general, the Abia State Signage and Advertisement Agency and the State House of Assembly as defendants. They are asking the court to set aside regulations issued by the signage agency concerning political campaigns, including the alleged N200 million fee or any similar charge imposed on presidential candidates.
The plaintiffs argued that the fee was unconstitutional and inconsistent with the Electoral Act 2026 and other relevant laws. They also sought an order permanently restraining the defendants and their agents from enforcing the charge or removing, defacing, destroying or obstructing their campaign billboards and outdoor advertisements across Abia State.
Specifically, Makinde and the APM asked the court to declare the fee null and void, arguing that it contravenes Section 99(2) of the Electoral Act, which prohibits the use of state apparatus or regulatory bodies to favour or disadvantage any political party or candidate.
The claimants further argued that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is empowered to make rules and regulations governing political campaigns, citing Item F, Sections 15(a) and (f) of the Third Schedule to the 1999 Constitution and Section 99(1) of the Electoral Act 2026. They maintained that state signage regulations should not be used to frustrate federal electoral legislation.
The suit also referenced Section 92 of the Electoral Act, which sets the total campaign expenditure limit for a presidential election at N10 billion nationwide. According to the plaintiffs, imposing similar billboard charges across states could consume a significant portion of the statutory limit before other campaign expenses, including transportation, media advertising, venue rentals, security and payments to agents, were considered.
In an affidavit supporting the suit, Aisha Abdullahi Abubakar, identified as the APM’s national welfare officer, said the claimants became aware of the fee while preparing for a nationwide campaign tour covering the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory. The plaintiffs urged the court to intervene, arguing that the charge could cause irreparable harm to their constitutional right to seek public office and undermine what they described as a level playing field for political candidates.
