Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodinma has come under fire over the outrageous price of campaign billboards for the upcoming Governorship election that will hold on November 11, News About Nigeria reports.
The Imo Government through the Advertisement and Signage Agency said political parties will have to pay a whopping N54 million before mounting their campaign billboards.
The General Manager of IMSAA, Chibuzor Umunnakwe, had issued a circular on the guidelines for erecting a campaign billboard. According to the circular, all political parties participating in the upcoming election must apply for permits before erecting political billboards, out-of-home displays, and other campaign materials.
The circular listed different fees: N100,000 for an application form, N54,000,000 for a gubernatorial campaign permit, N50,000 for site inspection (if the candidate builds their billboards), and N150,000 for approval.
The gubernatorial candidate of the Action Democratic Party slammed Governor Uzodinma’s administration over the outrageous fees and charges. He made his grievances known via a letter to the national headquarters of the Inter-Party Advisory Council on Monday.
He argued that the fee is a bold attempt to stifle opposition parties in the state and this reportedly will give an advantage to Governor Hope Uzondimma in the forthcoming governorship poll.
He further criticized said that the huge N54 million fee for a billboard was extremely high and unfair, not just in Imo State but anywhere else, even when converted to dollars.
Nwoga wondered that one person in the state has a lot of billboards, and compared it to the high fees charged to opposition parties for advertising, raising questions on how much money the state has made from this person.
