Residents and opposition political candidates in Ebonyi State have condemned a proposed bill seeking to impose a N150 million fee on campaign billboards, describing the measure as oppressive and an attempt to restrict political competition ahead of the 2027 elections.
They accused Governor Francis Nwifuru’s administration of introducing measures designed to weaken opposition parties and give the ruling party an advantage in the governorship and other elections scheduled for January 16 and February 6, 2027.
Speaking in separate interviews with journalists in Abakaliki on Wednesday, the residents warned that the development could trigger unrest if left unaddressed.
The governorship candidate of the Social Democratic Party in the 2027 election, Dr Kingsley Agbor, described the proposed legislation as unfortunate and damaging, warning that it could return the state to an era of authoritarian rule.
He said, “It is most unfortunate and devastating how our patriotic citizens liberated us from military rule, only to see the government of the day in Ebonyi State taking us back to that dark era.
“People paid the supreme price for this democracy some of us are toiling with today. I have always wished that these dictators in civilian clothes joined the military so as to seize power by the barrel of the gun and rule as it pleases them.
The Nwifuru government once again wants to stifle the political space for opposition political parties to operate. This is seen in this outrageous cost of elections and campaign billboards.
“To him and his supporters, it is and must be a one-party state, even when the Constitution of Nigeria stipulates otherwise. Most times, stiff decisions like this come when the government is not very popular in the state.
So, in a nutshell, the government wants to once again completely annihilate the opposition parties, but in every democracy, opposition can never be silenced.
“Need I remind them that the then Governor Elechi of the PDP once denied Muhammadu Buhari and the APC the use of the Abakaliki Sports Stadium for political rallies in 2014?
“Though Buhari and co moved down to the People’s Club Arena, it still didn’t stop Buhari’s victory in the general elections in 2015 and the decimation of the PDP.”
Similarly, the Labour Party governorship candidate in the state, Chief Splendour Oko-Eze, criticised the proposed measure, warning that it could encourage anti-democratic practices and have serious consequences for Ebonyi.
In an open letter issued on Wednesday, Oko-Eze accused the state government of unfairly treating opposition parties and argued that the proposed legislation was intended to prevent them from effectively campaigning.
He said, “I wrote this open letter to register my displeasure with the manner in which the Ebonyi State Government is maltreating the opposition in the state.
“This law passed by the State House of Assembly prohibiting billboards and posters from candidates contesting elections is a deliberate attempt to stifle opposition parties in Ebonyi State.
“Where do you expect opposition parties’ candidates to get N150 million from just to be allowed to erect billboards and posters? This is autocratic leadership going on in our dear state.
“Opposition is not a crime anywhere in the world. It is the beauty of democracy. It acts like a watchdog over the government in power so as to make sure that the dividends of democracy get to the people.
“Here in Ebonyi State, opposition parties and candidates are treated like criminals. This is not acceptable, and it has to stop going forward.
“If the government does not want to be criticised or have candidates from opposition parties contest against candidates from the ruling party, then the government must show its scorecard and performance.
“It is only the achievements of the government that will make the electorate re-elect anyone in power for a second tenure, not attacks on opposition parties and their candidates.
“How much did the Governor, Chief Francis Ogbonnaya Nwifuru, and his wife pay for all their billboards scattered all over the state?
READ ALSO: Ebonyi Fixes N150m Billboard Fee For Presidential, Governorship Candidates
“Or does it mean the law is just made for opposition parties and their candidates? The House of Assembly members must take cognisance of the fact that they were elected or selected to make laws that will benefit the people and not ones that will intimidate and extort money from them,” he added.
A social media critic and public affairs analyst, Chika Nwoba, also warned that the state government’s policies could heighten political tensions.
In a Facebook post on Wednesday, Nwoba accused the government of pursuing measures that could provoke a crisis and alleged that the proposed restrictions would primarily affect opposition parties.
He wrote, “Political war in Ebonyi is close, and it’s sponsored by the Ebonyi State Government.
“I see it that no poster or billboard will stand anywhere in the state, not even the ones of the APC, because this anti-democratic policy is only for the opposition.
“Nobody will pay a dime for campaign posters or billboards to them. If they tear down posters and billboards of the opposition, their own will also go down.
“This state of emergency the Ebonyi Governor hungers for will definitely come upon him. He has laid the foundation. No party will mount billboards either.”
Efforts to obtain a response from the Public Relations Officer of the Ebonyi State House of Assembly, Sylvester Egede, were unsuccessful as of Wednesday.
Calls placed to his phone went unanswered, while messages sent by the correspondent had not received a response at the time of filing the report.
The controversy followed a motion moved earlier on Wednesday by the Deputy Chief Whip of the Ebonyi State House of Assembly, Hon. Arinze Lucas Chukwu, during plenary.
Chukwu called for a ban on what he described as the indiscriminate pasting of political posters and erection of billboards within the capital territory.