The political battle over campaign visibility in Abia State has escalated, with the Allied Peoples Movement and its presidential candidate, Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, dragging Abia Governor Alex Otti and other state authorities to court over a ₦200 million campaign fee.
The plaintiffs are challenging the fee imposed by the Abia State Signage and Advertisement Agency for presidential candidates seeking to display campaign billboards and other outdoor advertisements in the state.
In the suit marked HC/214/2026, filed at the Abia State High Court through their lawyer, Musibau Adetunbi, SAN, Makinde and the APM described the charge as unlawful and unconstitutional.
They argued that the fee violates provisions of the 1999 Constitution and the Electoral Act 2026, particularly provisions they said were designed to prevent state agencies from giving an advantage or disadvantage to political parties or candidates.
The plaintiffs warned that allowing states to impose similar charges could create a financial barrier for presidential candidates campaigning across the country.
They pointed to the ₦10 billion statutory ceiling for presidential campaign expenditure, arguing that a ₦200 million charge in every state would consume a significant portion of the permitted spending limit on billboards alone.
Makinde and the APM specifically challenged the use of ABSAA, describing it as a state regulatory body being used to impose what they called a prohibitive charge on presidential candidates.
They argued that although states have powers to regulate outdoor advertising, those powers cannot be exercised in a way that conflicts with federal electoral laws.
The plaintiffs also relied on Section 99(2) of the Electoral Act 2026, which they said prohibits the use of state apparatus, regulatory bodies and other mechanisms to favour or disadvantage any candidate or political party.
They therefore asked the court to stop Otti, the state Attorney-General, ABSAA and the Abia State House of Assembly from enforcing the fee.
They also want an injunction preventing the defendants or their agents from removing, defacing, destroying or obstructing their campaign billboards and other outdoor advertisements in Abia.
Makinde and the APM further asked the court to set aside the regulations introducing the ₦200 million charge and declare the fee unconstitutional, unlawful and void.
The plaintiffs said they became aware of the fee while preparing to commence their nationwide campaign.
They argued that unless the court intervenes, the charge could undermine their ability to campaign effectively and violate what they described as the constitutional right of candidates to seek public office on a level playing field.
The suit has now opened a legal battle over the extent to which state signage authorities can regulate and charge presidential candidates for campaign advertising during a federal election.