The Cross River State Signage and Advertisement Agency, CRISSAA, has approved N150 million as the fee for outdoor campaign advertising by presidential candidates seeking to campaign in the state ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The new tariff places presidential campaign advertising at the highest level among the categories released by the agency.
Governorship candidates will pay N100 million, while senatorial candidates are expected to pay N50 million.
Candidates contesting seats in the House of Representatives will pay N25 million, while those seeking election into the State House of Assembly will be charged N5 million.
The fees will apply to political parties and candidates seeking to use outdoor advertising spaces across Cross River State during the 2027 election season.
The Director-General of CRISSAA, Ubong Sam, announced the tariff during an interactive meeting with members of the Inter-Party Advisory Council, IPAC, in Calabar.
Sam explained that the agency introduced the charges as part of efforts to regulate political advertising and control the use of outdoor spaces during the election period.
He said the rates were moderate when compared with charges in some neighbouring states.
The CRISSAA director-general also assured political parties that the agency would remain neutral in dealing with candidates and political organisations, regardless of their political affiliation.
“We have tried to regulate advert space, by not allowing anybody to insult the integrity of anybody or party, by being fair in all ramifications, by giving advertisers opportunity to either dialogue or arbitration and not necessarily by litigation,” he said.
The billboard above has now been replaced with the one below
Atiku Seyi Makinde Campaign Billboards
The CRISSAA tariff therefore means that candidates seeking extensive billboard exposure in Cross River will have to commit significant funds to outdoor advertising.
CRISSAA Gives 30-Day Deadline
Beyond the new charges, the agency also issued a deadline for political parties to remove campaign materials after elections.
Sam said parties would have 30 days from the official declaration of election results to take down their billboards, posters and other outdoor advertising materials.
He warned that materials left beyond the approved period would be regarded as a nuisance.
“Immediately after each election, at the expiration when results are announced, political parties are given 30 days to take off their campaign materials. Once it’s beyond 30 days, the advert materials become a nuisance,” he said.
The directive covers campaign billboards and other advertising materials mounted in public spaces during the election period.
CRISSAA also warned that political parties and candidates who fail to comply with its regulations could face sanctions.
Sam said offenders could have their campaign materials removed and could also be subjected to fines or prosecution before the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria, ARCON.History
He further drew attention to the financial consequences of violating advertising regulations.
“For defaulters having it at the back of their mind that ARCON fine is more than a million naira, there is no ARCON fine that is less than a million naira.”
The agency said its regulatory framework was aimed at ensuring that political advertising did not degenerate into personal attacks, defamation or the abuse of public spaces.
It also wants political parties to have equal access to advertising spaces under established rules.
Parties Divided Over Tariff
The new charges have, however, generated different reactions among political stakeholders in the state.
The state chairman of IPAC, Engr. Effiom Edet, supported the tariff and described the charges as fair.
The Special Adviser to the Cross River State Governor on Inter-Party Affairs, Nkoyo Otu, also assured political parties that the process would be transparent.
But not every political party agreed with the new rates.
The state chairman of the Action Democratic Party, Apostle Edet, opposed the charges and described them as excessive.
The Peoples Democratic Party also rejected the tariff.
The PDP’s Publicity Secretary, Mike Ojisi, said the party was not part of any IPAC meeting where the charges were agreed upon.
He argued that the amount could make it difficult for smaller political parties and candidates with limited financial resources to compete for visibility during the election season.
“The tariff is outrageous, exorbitant and a ploy to prevent other political parties from carrying out massive publicity through billboards. The tariff is totally unacceptable,” he said.
However, this development is not limited to Cross River.
In a related development, the Enugu State government earlier introduced a N150 million election advertising permit fee, a move that triggered opposition from the African Democratic Congress.
The party threatened legal action over the charge, arguing that such a requirement could restrict opposition parties from accessing campaign spaces.
Anambra State has also introduced its own campaign advertising regulations ahead of 2027, including a N50 million permit fee for presidential aspirants seeking to campaign in the state.
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