The All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in Abia State, Chief Eric Opah, has said he will rely on the experiences of workers, pensioners and traders to drive his campaign rather than physical billboards amid controversy over the state’s campaign advertising fees.

Addressing supporters on arrival in Umuahia, Opah said the people affected by government policies constituted his “billboards.”

“I have decided to ignore the bad faith being shown by the governor of the day.

“Abia workers are my billboards. Abia pensioners who almost lost their pensions and gratuity are my billboards. The market traders who wake up every day only to be squeezed by heavy taxes are my billboards,” Opah told the crowd.

The APC candidate’s comments come amid controversy over the campaign advertising permit fees announced by the Abia State Structures for Signages and Advertising Agency (ABSSAA).

The agency announced fees of N200 million for presidential candidates and N150 million for governorship candidates seeking permits for campaign advertising in the state.

The fees have drawn opposition from political and advertising stakeholders. The matter is also before the courts, with Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde and the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) challenging the N200 million presidential campaign permit fee imposed in Abia.

Rather than joining the dispute over campaign signboards, Opah pointed to his experience as an entrepreneur and said his decision to contest the governorship was informed by his assessment of the state’s economic management.

“I am a builder who has built businesses. Abia at the moment is not being managed well, and that is the reason I am throwing my hat into the ring,” Opah said.

He said his campaign would focus on people whose daily activities contribute to the state’s economy and who, according to him, bear the consequences of government policies.

“The people who power Abia’s economy every single day and bear the brunt of bad policies are the only billboards that truly matter,” he said.