The Enugu State Structures for Signage and Advertisement Agency (ENSSAA), yesterday, announced a mandatory N150 million advertising permit for political parties and candidates participating in the 2026 and 2027 local, state, and federal elections.

General Manager of the agency, Mr Francis Aninwike, after a management meeting, disclosed that the development includes outdoor and visual campaigns.
 
Aninwike said the directive was in line with ENSSAA’s statutory mandate to regulate outdoor advertising and ensure orderliness, environmental aesthetics, and lawful conduct of campaign activities across the state’s 17 local council areas.
 
He explained that the N150 million permit grants political parties and candidates the right to deploy campaign materials and engage in visual promotions, including rallies, banners, branded vehicles, T-shirts, caps, handbills, buntings, and street campaigns across urban and rural areas.
 
“Every political party and candidate must obtain a campaign permit from ENSSAA before deploying any form of visual campaign or outdoor promotional materials. The statutory fee for the permit is N150 million, payable to the Enugu State Government account,” he said.
 
According to Aninwike, the permit is designed to prevent visual pollution, ensure a level playing field, maintain professional standards in outdoor advertising, and protect public infrastructure.
 
He warned that parties or candidates who fail to comply would have their campaign materials removed and could face legal sanctions. He further clarified that only practitioners registered and licensed by the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON) are authorised to erect and manage billboards or campaign structures within the state.
 
“No individual, political party, or support group is permitted to erect billboards or advertisement structures in any part of Enugu State without going through licensed ARCON practitioners as permitted by ENSSAA,” he stated.
 
The agency also cautioned against defacing opponents’ campaign materials, describing such actions as undemocratic and punishable under the law. He urged political parties and supporters to conduct campaigns responsibly, noting that elections should not be treated as a “do-or-die affair,” but as a democratic process that allows citizens to fulfil their civic obligations.