The African Democratic Congress has threatened legal action against the Enugu State Government over a new policy that mandates political parties to pay N150 million before deploying any campaign materials for the 2026 and 2027 elections.

The controversy stems from a directive issued by the Enugu State Structures for Signage and Advertisement Agency, ENSSAA, which announced that every political party and candidate must obtain a campaign permit before using billboards, posters, branded vehicles, banners, T-shirts, handbills or any other outdoor promotional materials.

ENSSAA’s General Manager, Francis Aninwike, said the fee is a statutory requirement intended to regulate outdoor advertising, prevent visual pollution and protect public infrastructure across the state’s 17 local government areas. He maintained that the rules would apply uniformly to all political actors, including incumbents, and insisted that Governor Peter Mbah had consistently complied with existing advertising regulations.

According to the agency, failure to pay the N150 million permit fee would result in the removal of campaign materials and possible legal sanctions. ENSSAA also warned supporters against defacing opponents’ campaign materials, describing such acts as undemocratic and punishable under the law.

The ADC has condemned the policy as an assault on democracy. Ugwu Izuchukwu, ADC chairman for Igbo-Eze South and Chairman of Chairmen for Enugu North Senatorial Zone, described the levy as “draconian” and designed to shut out opposition parties from the political space.

Izuchukwu accused the Mbah administration of attempting to use state resources to dominate the visual campaign landscape while effectively pricing smaller parties out of contention. He argued that no government has the right to impose such a prohibitive financial barrier on parties seeking to campaign and brand their vehicles.

He vowed that the ADC would challenge the directive in court, insisting that the measure is anti-democratic and incompatible with fair competition. He further argued that electoral success is not determined by the number of billboards or branded vehicles, but by policies that resonate with the people.

Izuchukwu stressed that opposition parties in Enugu would not be intimidated or forced out of the arena, declaring that they would use every legal avenue to resist the implementation of the N150 million campaign permit fee.