Makinde Takes Otti To Court Over Controversial ₦200m Campaign Billboard Fee

Oyo State Governor and presidential candidate of the Allied Peoples Movement, Seyi Makinde, and his party have instituted a legal action against Abia State Governor Alex Otti and other state authorities over a ₦200 million campaign advertising fee imposed on presidential candidates seeking to display campaign materials in the state.

According to Bush Radio Academy, the suit, marked HC/214/2026, was filed before the Abia State High Court, Umuahia Judicial Division, through the plaintiffs’ lawyer, Musibau Adetunbi, SAN. Other defendants in the case are the Abia State Attorney-General, the Abia State Signage and Advertisement Agency and the Abia State House of Assembly.

Makinde and the APM are challenging the legality of the ₦200 million campaign advertising fee, arguing that it is inconsistent with the 1999 Constitution, the Electoral Act 2026 and other relevant laws. They are asking the court to set aside regulations issued by the state signage agency relating to political campaigns, including the fee imposed on presidential candidates.

The plaintiffs are also seeking an injunction preventing the defendants, their agents or representatives from enforcing the disputed fee or removing, defacing, destroying or obstructing their campaign billboards and other outdoor advertisements across Abia State.

Makinde and the APM have raised several constitutional and electoral questions for the court to determine. Among their arguments is that Section 99(2) of the Electoral Act 2026 prohibits the use of state apparatus or regulatory bodies in a manner that gives an advantage or disadvantage to any political party or candidate.

The plaintiffs further argue that the Independent National Electoral Commission has the constitutional and statutory responsibility to make rules governing political campaigns, and that state regulatory powers over outdoor advertising should not be exercised in a manner that overrides federal electoral legislation.

They also cited Section 92 of the Electoral Act 2026, which provides a ₦10 billion limit for presidential campaign expenditure nationwide. The plaintiffs argued that if similar fees were imposed across other states and the Federal Capital Territory, billboard charges alone could consume a substantial portion of the statutory campaign spending limit.

The APM and Makinde therefore want the court to declare the disputed ₦200 million fee invalid and restrain the Abia authorities from enforcing it against their campaign activities.

The case comes as Makinde and the APM intensify political activities ahead of the 2027 presidential election. As of the latest reports, the court had not yet announced a hearing date for the suit.