NDC threatens legal action over Imo billboard fees, LGA elections

By Chinonso Alozie

OWERRI — The National Democratic Congress (NDC) in Imo State has threatened legal action over what it described as excessive campaign billboard fees imposed by the state government, while challenging the legality of the local government elections scheduled for Saturday, November 14.

The party’s Director of Legal Services, Eze Eluchie, disclosed this while speaking to journalists in Owerri on Thursday, accusing the Imo State Signage and Advertising Agency (ISAA) of imposing prohibitive advertisement rates that could restrict opposition parties’ political activities ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Eluchie said the party had submitted a Freedom of Information (FOI) request to the General Manager of ISAA, seeking information and evidence of payments made by political parties for campaign billboards and other advertisements.

According to him, the request is intended to establish whether the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has complied with the agency’s advertisement rates for the numerous billboards and campaign posters displayed across the state.

He said, “With a view to challenging the obnoxious, undemocratic, offensive and prohibitive advertisement rates levied on political parties in the course of the 2027 general elections by ISAA, a Request for Information under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) was earlier sent to the General Manager of ISAA, demanding proof of payment by any political party of the signage and advertisement rates for political campaigns.

“Amongst other things, the request will reveal if indeed the ruling party in the state, the APC, did indeed pay for the multiple billboards and campaign posters they have littered all over the state.”

Eluchie said the NDC would consider approaching the courts if it emerged that the APC had failed to pay the prescribed rates for its campaign advertisements.

“The National Democratic Congress (NDC) intends to challenge this obnoxious practice via litigation, in the event that it is established that the adverts being placed by the APC have not been paid for in line with the rates demanded by the ISAA,” he said.

He argued that the rates imposed by the agency infringed on constitutionally guaranteed freedoms of expression and association, as well as citizens’ rights to participate in the governance of their state.

He called for a level playing field for all political parties, saying it was necessary to safeguard democracy in Imo State.

On the November 14 local government elections, the NDC legal director questioned the legality of the exercise, alleging that the state government had failed to conduct elections following the expiration of the tenure of the local government council executive committees in September 2026.

He claimed that rather than conduct fresh elections, the governor appointed Development Area Governors (DAGs) to oversee local government affairs.

According to him, the arrangement had continued and raised questions about the constitutional basis of the forthcoming elections.

“What Imo State Independent Electoral Commission (ISIEC) appears to be planning is indeed a coronation of selected persons as chairmen and councillors and not a democratic election as envisaged by Section 7 of the Nigerian Constitution,” he alleged.

Eluchie maintained that anyone who emerged from the November 14 exercise would have gained access to the offices of chairmen and councillors in the state’s 27 local government areas and 305 electoral wards through a process he considered inconsistent with the Constitution.

He consequently called on the Federal Government to ensure that funds due to the 27 local government councils were not released to individuals who might emerge from the election.

“We therefore urge the Federal Government to ensure that all funds due to the 27 local government councils of Imo State are not in any way handed over to these characters who emerge from this charade on November 14.

“It is our position that all such funds be placed in interest-yielding accounts with the Central Bank of Nigeria, to be released to the said 27 LGAs at any time when proper democratic elections to elect chairmen and councillors take place,” he said.

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