Politics

₦200m Campaign Fee: Makinde Drags Otti, Abia Govt To Court

Published September 22, 2026 at 6:36 AM

Key Takeaways

Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, and the Allied Peoples Movement filed suit at the Abia State High Court challenging Abia’s ₦200 million campaign billboard fee.
The plaintiffs, through their lawyer, Musibau Adetunbi, SAN, urged the court to void ASAA regulations, citing the Constitution and Electoral Act 2026.
Makinde and APM asked the court to stop enforcement of the fee and prevent removal or destruction of their campaign billboards and outdoor adverts in Abia.

Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State and the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) have instituted legal action against Abia State Governor Alex Otti and other state authorities.

Naija News understands that Makinde, who is the presidential candidate of the APM, dragged Otti and the Abia State government to court over a ₦200 million fee imposed on presidential candidates seeking to display campaign materials in the state.

Makinde alongside others filed the suit marked HC/214/2026, at the Abia State High Court through their lawyer, Musibau Adetunbi, SAN.

Other defendants named in the suit are the Abia State Attorney-General, Abia State Signage and Advertisement Agency (ASAA), and the Abia State House of Assembly.

According to the Oyo State Governor, the ₦200 million fee is unconstitutional and inconsistent with the Electoral Act 2026.

Makinde and the APM asked the court to set aside regulations issued by ASAA imposing the charge and stop the defendants from enforcing the fee.

They also want the court to prevent the removal, defacing, destruction or obstruction of their campaign billboards and outdoor advertisements.

The plaintiffs argue that Section 99(2) of the Electoral Act prohibits state apparatus and regulatory bodies from being used to advantage or disadvantage any political party or candidate.

They also contend that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), under the Constitution and the Electoral Act, has exclusive authority to make rules governing political campaigns.

Makinde and the APM further cited Section 92 of the Electoral Act, which sets the presidential campaign expenditure limit at ₦10 billion nationwide.

The plaintiffs claimed that if other states and the Federal Capital Territory imposed similar charges, billboard fees alone could consume more than 80 per cent of the statutory campaign spending limit.

The plaintiffs acknowledged that states have powers to regulate outdoor signage but argued that such powers cannot be exercised in a manner that frustrates or overrides federal electoral laws.