Court gavel
A Federal High Court has upheld the powers of the Enugu State Structures for Signage and Advertisement Agency (ENSSAA) to impose a N150 million permit fee on political parties seeking to erect campaign billboards and posters ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The clarification followed the release of a Certified True Copy (CTC) of the court’s judgment, which contradicted social media reports claiming that the fee had been nullified.
The judgment, delivered on September 1, 2026, by Justice Mabel Segun-Bello of the Federal High Court in Enugu, dismissed a suit filed by several opposition political parties and their leaders challenging ENSSAA’s authority to prescribe the fee.
The court held that the Enugu State House of Assembly acted within its constitutional powers by making laws regulating outdoor advertising, while ENSSAA was legally empowered to enforce those laws.
The suit, marked FHC/EN/CS/165/2026, was filed by the Labour Party (LP), the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), the Social Democratic Party (SDP), and some of their state leaders against ENSSAA, its General Manager, Francis Aninwike, the Enugu State House of Assembly, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON), and the Nigeria Police Force.
The plaintiffs argued that only INEC had the constitutional authority to regulate political campaigns under the Electoral Act, 2026, and the 1999 Constitution. They asked the court to declare the N150 million fee unlawful, stop its enforcement, and restrain security agencies from harassing political parties over campaign billboards.
However, Justice Segun-Bello ruled in favour of ENSSAA after considering the evidence and arguments presented by all parties.
“I accede to the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Defendants’ contention that the subject matter of ‘outdoor advertising’ is NOT reserved exclusively to the National Assembly or to ARCON.
“Rather, ‘outdoor advertising’ falls within the purview of the primary functions of the Local Government, which may (where properly delegated) be validly exercised by a State agency such as the 1st Defendant (ENSSAA).
“Third, I am satisfied that on the basis of the evidence before this Court, the 1st Defendant has established it had a validly delegated authority to issue the directive it gave on 9th February, 2026, for the regulation of advertisement of political campaigns.”
The ruling means ENSSAA can continue enforcing the N150 million permit fee for political campaign billboards in Enugu State unless the judgment is overturned on appeal.
The decision is expected to shape preparations for political campaigns ahead of the 2027 general election, especially as parties begin outdoor advertising across the state.
The release of the certified judgment also settles widespread claims on social media that the court had struck down the fee, confirming instead that the agency’s regulatory powers were upheld under existing state law.
