Five out of 16 Political Parties pay N50m Campaign Permit as APC refuses compliance, attacks ANSAA Staff at Nri

Only five out of 16 registered political parties participating in the forthcoming November 8 governorship election have paid 50 million naira to obtain license and authorization to run out-of-home advertising and political campaigns.

The parties are Young Progressive Party (YPP), African Democratic Congress (ADC), Labour Party (LP), Action Alliance (AA) and All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) have all paid 50 million naira each in compliance with the law regulating out-door advertising in the state, being implemented by it’s regulatory agency, Anambra Signage and Advertisement Agency (ANSAA).

Briefing newsmen in Awka on Tuesday, the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, ANSAA, Mr Tony Ujubuonu explained that the gathering was to update Ndi Anambra on the implementation of the Out-of-Home Promotions and Visual Campaign Guidelines for political parties participating in the 2025 Anambra State gubernatorial election.

He regretted that despite refusing to obtain the mandatory campaign permit, the All Progressives Congress (APC) has deliberately violated the Out-of-Home advertising laws in the state by engaging in unauthorized promotional activities; erecting posters, branding vehicles, hoisting banners, organizing events filled with promotional items bearing party names and logos, and even installing unapproved billboards at irregular sites without registered practitioners and due vetting from the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria, ARCON.

Odili-Ujubuoñu narrated a recent incident in Nri, Anaocha Local Government Area, where the APC resorted to violence to obstruct an official ANSAA team on lawful assignment, adding that prior to the incident, the party had been issued two demand notices within two months and two-week compliance window, and a legal reminder, all of which were ignored.

Regarding the assault of ANSAA staff at Nri, the ANSAA Boss stated that the agency has formally reported the incident to the police, and will continue to take all lawful steps necessary to uphold the integrity of the regulatory mandate, assuring all political parties that have decided to obey the law that their cooperation with the agency will be protected at all times.

“All Progressive Congress (APC) is a highly respected political party that has given our country a highly respected president who is both progressive and law abiding. We are surprised that in Anambra State, the party has fallen into the hands of brigands and deviants who think that civility is a culture for the weak and opt to employ violence and disregard for the law in carrying out their politicking.

“We strongly urge Ndi Anambra and the general public to disregard the disinformation, truth-flipping and narrative construction being circulated by this political party. It is important that we collectively insist on a level playing field where only law abiding parties and candidates are considered credible choices in the November gubernatorial polls.

“We call on the press and all well meaning citizens to bear witness: ANSAA has emplored every civil and administrative channel to engage this political party. We are now fully within our legal rights to enforce compliance, and we shall do so with the professionalism that our agency is known for,” he added.

Responding to concerns raised by journalists, the ANSAA MD addressed the controversy surrounding the removal of a YPP campaign billboard at UNIZIK Junction Awka, despite the party’s full compliance.

He explained that the said billboard was structurally faulty and posed a public safety hazard, hence the removal.

According to him, the agency acted in consultation with the YPP Deputy Governorship Candidate and later reinstated the material after repairs and safety confirmation by an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) consultant. In his words, the billboard material was later restored after repairs, demonstrating the agency’s transparency and prioritization of public safety.

Ujubuoñu also used the opportunity to clarify that ANSAA does not guarantee the security protection of campaign materials but has a regular monitoring team to intervene on a humanitarian basis where necessary.

Also speaking, the Chief Enforcement Officer, Engr Chika Ngobili, who led the recent enforcement operation in Nri, corroborated Ujubuoñu’s account on what transpired.

He explained that the enforcement team, in their lawful duty, had removed some unapproved APC campaign materials before they were attacked by a mob.

“They beat us, collected our phones, and even tried to seize our vehicle key. They also threatened to burn us inside the van,” he recounted, adding that Even an attempted intervention by the Commissioner for Health was met with hostility, as the mob warned him to keep off or be harmed.

Engr Ngobili maintained that their enforcement was in line with ANSAA’s mandate, as APC had not paid the campaign permit fee. He further stated that even the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) present during the incident made unsubstantiated claims that all parties had the right to erect campaign billboards wherever they want without restrictions.

Engr Ngobili however faulted such claims, insisting that the law does not permit defaulting parties to flout the state’s advertising regulations, adding that APC’s non-payment of relevant permit fee was the sole reason for the removal of their campaign materials.###