The Kogi State Government has reduced proposed fees for outdoor political campaign advertisements following complaints from political parties, candidates and advertising practitioners.
Under the revised rates announced by the Kogi State Signage and Advertisement Agency (KOSSAA), presidential candidates will pay ₦25m, down from the initial ₦150m proposal.
The fees for senatorial candidates have been reduced from ₦50m to ₦20m, while those for House of Representatives candidates have dropped from ₦30m to ₦10m.
House of Assembly candidates will now pay ₦1.5m instead of ₦5m, while the fee for chairmanship candidates has also been cut from ₦5m to ₦1m.
The revised charges were announced by KOSSAA General Manager, Osaseyi Richard, at a stakeholders’ meeting held at the Government House in Lokoja.
The meeting was convened to address concerns raised over the initial fees and find a balance between the financial demands of political campaigns and the need to regulate outdoor advertising.
Richard said the initial assessment was based on the agency’s regulations, the range of campaign materials requiring assessment and the anticipated cost of managing advertisements, including their removal after elections.
Despite the reduction, the state government said political parties and candidates must comply with existing advertising regulations.
Representing the Commissioner for Information and Communications, Kingsley Fanwo, the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Awulu Tijani David, said the guidelines were designed to ensure responsible political communication, peaceful electoral competition and proper regulation of outdoor advertisements.
He said political advertising was a legitimate part of democratic participation but must be conducted within the law and in ways that protect public facilities, citizens and the environment.
According to the government, the regulations are not intended to suppress political expression or create unnecessary obstacles for candidates, but to establish a transparent system that promotes accountability and public safety.
Earlier, the Action Democratic Party senatorial candidate for Kogi East, Okpanachi Nicolas Bala, appealed for further consideration of the financial difficulties faced by candidates, particularly those without substantial campaign resources.
He said the cost of financing election campaigns was already a major challenge for many political actors.
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