2027 Presidency: Tinubu, Atiku, Obi To Pay N150m For Billboards In Cross River

Presidential aspirants including Bola Tinubu, Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi,  will pay N150 million each to mount presidential campaign billboards in Cross River State ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The Cross River State Signage and Advertisement Agency, CRISSAA, stated that, that is the new tariff regime for political outdoor advertisements made by the state.

The director general of the agency, Ubong Sam, disclosed this during an interactive session with the Inter-Party Advisory Council, IPAC, in Calabar, where he gave a breakdown of the approved rates.

He said the presidential category attracts N150 million, Governorship N100 million, Senatorial N50 million, House of Representatives N25 million and State House of Assembly N5 million.

Sam said the charges are “considerate when compared with what is obtainable in neighbouring states” and were introduced to ensure fairness.

In his words, the DG said, “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.”

He warned that defaulters would face removal of campaign materials, fines or prosecution at the tribunal set up by the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria, ARCON, stressing that “there is no ARCON fine that is less than a million naira.”

He also directed all parties to remove their billboards within 30 days after election results are announced, saying, “Once it’s beyond 30 days the advert materials become a nuisance.”

On the lifespan of campaign materials, CRISSAA DG averred that political parties operating in the state have a 30-day window after results are announced to pull down their billboards so as to avoid facing consequences.

“Immediately after each election, you know we have Governorship elections after Presidential election, which normally takes two weeks, meaning that, 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, adding that parties who cannot remove them should give written authorization for the agency to assist.

Reacting, the State Chairman of IPAC, Engr. Effiom Edet, described the tariffs as fair, saying “Paying N100million tariff for governorship elections, N50million for senatorial elections, N25million for House of Representatives and N5million for State House of Assembly isn’t too outrageous.”

The Special Adviser to the Governor on Inter-Party Affairs, Ms Nkoyo Otu, also assured of transparency, stating that “You can see that there is transparency and no partiality by CRISSAA to favour a particular political party.”

In his remarks, a stakeholder of the Action Democratic Party (ADP), Apostle Edet, described the signage fee pegged for political parties as outrageous, accusing the agency of deliberately fixing it so high to edge out parties with weak financial strength.