Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, presidential candidate of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), and the party have dragged Abia State Governor Alex Otti and other state authorities before the Abia State High Court over an alleged N200 million mandatory fee imposed on presidential candidates seeking to display campaign materials in the state.
The suit, marked HC/214/2026 and filed through their lawyer, Musibau Adetunbi, SAN, also lists the Abia State Attorney-General, Abia State Signage and Advertisement Agency (ASAA), and the State House of Assembly as defendants.
Makinde and the APM are challenging the fee as unconstitutional and contrary to the Electoral Act 2026. They are asking the court to set aside ASAA’s regulations imposing the N200 million charge and stop the defendants from enforcing the fee or removing, defacing, destroying or obstructing their campaign billboards and outdoor advertisements.
The plaintiffs argue that Section 99(2) of the Electoral Act prohibits state apparatus and regulatory bodies from being used to advantage or disadvantage any political party or candidate. They also contend that INEC, under the Constitution and Electoral Act, has exclusive authority to make rules governing political campaigns.
They further cited Section 92 of the Electoral Act, which caps presidential campaign expenditure at N10 billion nationwide, arguing that if states and the FCT imposed similar charges, billboard fees alone could consume over 80 per cent of the statutory limit.
While acknowledging that states have powers to regulate outdoor signage, the plaintiffs maintain that such powers cannot be exercised in a way that frustrates or overrides federal electoral laws. They are seeking a declaration that the N200 million fee is unconstitutional, inconsistent with federal legislation and null and void.
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