Cross River, Kogi Peg Presidential Campaign Ads at N150m
Cross River and Kogi State governments have separately approved new tariff regimes for political campaign signage and advertising ahead of the 2027 general elections, with both states setting presidential candidates’ billboard fees at ₦150 million, sparking mixed reactions among political parties and stakeholders.
Cross River’s tariff structure
In Cross River, the Director-General of the Cross River State Signage and Advertisement Agency (CRISSAA), Ubong Sam, disclosed the new charges during an interactive session with the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) in Calabar. Under the approved rates, presidential candidates will pay ₦150 million, governorship candidates ₦100 million, senatorial candidates ₦50 million, House of Representatives candidates ₦25 million, and State House of Assembly candidates ₦5 million for campaign billboards and advertising materials across the state.
Sam described the rates as moderate compared to charges in neighbouring states and stressed that CRISSAA remains impartial in its dealings with all political parties and candidates. He also directed political parties to remove their campaign billboards and other advertising materials within 30 days of the declaration of election results, warning that defaulters risk having their materials removed, facing fines, or being prosecuted before the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON).
While IPAC’s state chairman, Effiom Edet, backed the tariffs as fair, and the Special Adviser to the Governor on Inter-Party Affairs, Nkoyo Otu, assured stakeholders of transparency in the process, not all parties welcomed the charges. The state chairmen of the Action Democratic Party and the Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mike Ojisi, described the fees as outrageous and exorbitant, arguing the tariffs appeared designed to shut out less financially buoyant parties from effective billboard publicity.
Kogi’s tariff structure
In a similar move, the Kogi State Government approved its own campaign signage fees, with presidential candidates required to pay ₦150 million, senatorial candidates ₦50 million, House of Representatives candidates ₦30 million, and State House of Assembly candidates ₦5 million. The Commissioner for Information and Communications, Kingsley Fanwo, disclosed the approved structure in Lokoja following a stakeholders’ meeting with operators in the signage and advertising sector.
The approved fees, which also cover the October 2026 local government elections, set chairmanship candidates’ fees at ₦2 million and councillorship candidates’ fees at ₦300,000. Fanwo said the charges were designed to regulate political advertising, ensure compliance with existing signage laws, and boost the state’s internally generated revenue, adding that the rates were determined after a peer review of charges applicable in other states. He stressed that enforcement would apply equally to all parties, including the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), warning that any candidate who failed to pay before placing campaign materials would have them removed and face prosecution. The Kogi State Signage and Advertisement Agency (KOSSAA) will coordinate enforcement of the new regime.
Why it matters
The new tariffs come as campaigns for the presidential and National Assembly elections are set to formally commence nationwide on August 19, with both states framing the charges as necessary regulatory and revenue-generating measures, even as some opposition figures argue the costs risk disadvantaging smaller or less well-funded political parties ahead of the 2027 polls.
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