The Enugu State Government will require political parties and candidates to obtain a N150 million advertising permit for all outdoor campaign activities during the 2026 and 2027 elections, the state’s signage regulator has announced.
Francis Aninwike, General Manager of the Enugu State Structures for Signage and Advertisement Agency (ENSSAA), disclosed the directive following a management meeting. He stated the move aligns with the agency’s statutory mandate to regulate outdoor advertising and ensure orderliness, environmental aesthetics, and lawful conduct across the state’s 17 local government areas.
The permit grants authorization to deploy campaign materials and engage in visual promotions, including rallies, banners, branded vehicles, T-shirts, caps, handbills, buntings, and street campaigns in both urban and rural areas. Aninwike emphasized that no political party, candidate, or support group may erect billboards or advertisement structures without first securing the permit, with the fee payable to the Enugu State Government account.
The policy aims to prevent visual pollution, ensure a level playing field, maintain professional standards in outdoor advertising, and protect public infrastructure. ENSSAA warned that non-compliant parties would have materials removed and could face legal sanctions. A key requirement mandates that only practitioners registered and licensed by the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON) are authorized to erect and manage billboards or campaign structures on behalf of political actors.
Aninwike also condemned the defacement of opponents’ campaign materials as undemocratic and illegal, urging all participants to conduct responsible campaigns. He stressed that elections are a democratic civic obligation, not a “do-or-die affair.”
Addressing concerns over selective enforcement, he insisted the guidelines apply uniformly to all candidates and parties, including incumbents. As an example, he noted that Governor Peter Mbah has consistently complied with advertising regulations in his own campaign and official promotions.
This regulatory step underscores Enugu State’s effort to impose structured oversight on electoral advertising, with compliance from all political stakeholders becoming a mandatory prerequisite for campaign visibility in the coming election cycles.
