From Joseph Amedu, Lokoja

The Kogi State Government has approved official fees for the placement of billboards, posters, branded T-shirts, caps and other campaign materials by political parties and candidates ahead of the 2027 general elections and the October 2026 local government elections.

The Commissioner for Information and Communications, Kingsley Fanwo, disclosed this in Lokoja after a stakeholders’ meeting with operators in the signage and advertising sector, as campaigns for the Presidential and National Assembly elections are scheduled to commence on August 19.

Fanwo said the approved fees were designed to regulate political advertising across the state, ensure compliance with existing signage regulations and generate revenue for the development of Kogi State.

Under the approved structure, Presidential candidates will pay N150 million for campaign signage and related promotional materials across the state, while Senatorial candidates will pay N50 million.

Candidates for the House of Representatives will pay N30 million, while those contesting for the State House of Assembly will pay N5 million.

For the local government elections, chairmanship candidates will pay N2 million, while councillorship candidates will pay N300,000.

The Commissioner explained that the rates were arrived at after a peer review of applicable fees in other states, noting that the charges were considered affordable in view of the scale and reach of political campaigns.

He said the fees would also enable the government to properly regulate the proliferation of campaign materials across the state while ensuring that political advertising contributes to the state’s revenue base.

Fanwo warned that the placement of campaign materials without payment of the prescribed fees and compliance with the relevant regulations would constitute an offence, adding that offenders and anyone found aiding or facilitating such violations would be prosecuted.

He stressed that the regulations apply to all political parties and candidates without exception, including candidates of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

“In Kogi, APC is the ruling party, but that does not exempt any APC candidate from complying with the law. If you are an APC candidate and you did not pay the prescribed fee before placing your billboards or posters, we will remove them and you will be prosecuted.

“The government is for everybody. All political parties and candidates are hereby enjoined to adhere strictly to the regulations governing the placement of campaign materials across the state,” he said.

Fanwo further explained that the Kogi State Signage and Advertisement Agency (KOSSAA), an agency under the Kogi State Ministry of Information and Communications, is responsible for regulating signage and outdoor advertising activities in the state and would coordinate the enforcement of the approved campaign signage regime.

He said the state government would ensure that the enforcement of the regulations was carried out fairly and without political discrimination.

The General Manager of KOSSAA, Richard Osaseyi, said the agency would commence full enforcement of the regulations from next week.

Osaseyi urged political parties, candidates, campaign organisations and billboard operators to register with the agency and obtain the necessary approvals before erecting or displaying campaign materials.

He cautioned that unauthorised campaign materials would be removed, while individuals or organisations found to have violated the regulations would face the appropriate sanctions.

Some stakeholders of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Adamawa have urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to reject an alleged plot to substitute Omar Suleiman, the party’s governorship candidate with Tukur Modibbo.

The spokesman of the group, Bukar Dahi, made the call at a press conference in Yola on Tuesday.

He alleged that the national leadership of the party was under pressure by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar to substitute Suleiman with Modibbo, who came second at the governorship primary election.

The spokesman said Suleiman gained momentum from the ward level to broader political campaigns and became a threat to the established political order in the state.

Dahi therefore urged INEC to ensure that any alteration to Suleiman’s candidature complied with the party’s constitution and applicable electoral laws.

He said the commission should act in the interest of peace, fairness and justice, particularly given the political sensitivity surrounding the 2027 governorship election.

The spokesman noted that imposition and other forms of irregularities were allegedly responsible for the party’s unresolved governorship disputes in Adamawa, Sokoto, Imo, Kano and Borno.

Dahi called on the Sen. David Mark-led National Working Committee (NWC) of the party to demonstrate independence, resolve internal disagreements transparently and uphold the outcome of the party’s electoral processes.

He warned that substituting an elected candidate without any cogent reason could damage ADC’s credibility and undermine its claim of providing a democratic alternative ahead of 2027.

In a swift reaction, Atiku’s Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, denied any involvement by his principal in the alleged plot to substitute Suleiman.

From Mike Tayese, Yenagoa

The Bayelsa Rescue Mission (BRM) has called on Governor Douye Diri to urgently address what it described as a disturbing pattern of political exclusion of the people of Bayelsa East Senatorial District and significant sections of Yenagoa Local Government Area from key positions of political influence within the state administration and the leadership structure of the ruling political party.

The group said its demand was not for political patronage but for fairness, inclusion, equity and a sense of belonging for every Bayelsan.

In a statement issued in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital, by the Publicity Secretary of the Bayelsa Rescue Mission, Hon.

It stressed that no Senatorial District, Local Government Area, community or group of citizens should be made to feel excluded from the affairs of the state or denied a meaningful place at the table where decisions affecting their future are made.

According to the statement, the people of Brass, Nembe and Ogbia Local Government Areas, which constitute Bayelsa East Senatorial District, as well as the people of Epie/Atissa, Okordia, Biseni, Zarama and Gbarain/Ekpetiama in Yenagoa Local Government Area, have legitimate reasons to question their level of representation in the strategic political architecture of the state.

The BRM recalled that at the commencement of Governor Diri’s administration in 2020, the composition of key government offices reflected what it described as a commendable measure of geographical balance and sensitivity to the diversity of the state.

It noted that the then Secretary to the State Government, Rt. Hon. Konbowei Benson, was from Southern Ijaw Local Government Area in Bayelsa Central Senatorial District; the Chief of Staff, Chief Benson Agadaga, was from Ogbia Local Government Area in Bayelsa East Senatorial District; the Deputy Chief of Staff was from Sagbama Local Government Area in Bayelsa West; the Principal Secretary was from Kolokuma/Opokuma Local Government Area in Bayelsa Central; while the Political Adviser was also from Sagbama in Bayelsa West.

According to the group, the arrangement gave the various Senatorial Districts and sections of the state a meaningful sense of belonging in the administration.

The BRM, however, expressed concern that following the resignation of the then Secretary to the State Government and Chief of Staff to pursue their respective senatorial ambitions, the governor replaced the SSG with another appointee from the same Southern Ijaw Local Government Area, while the people of Ogbia and the entire Bayelsa East Senatorial District were allegedly denied a replacement in the strategic office of Chief of Staff.

The BRM said it considered this the point at which the previously observed geographical balance in the principal offices of the Government House began to deteriorate, particularly to the disadvantage of Bayelsa East.

It added that, more concerning was the fact that after Dr. Akpe was subsequently elevated from Chief of Staff to Deputy Governor, the governor had, to date, failed to restore the Chief of Staff position to Bayelsa East, where it was originally represented before Chief Benson Agadaga’s resignation.

The BRM maintained that the people of Bayelsa East deserved a meaningful place at the highest levels of governance, just as every other section of the state, and called for the alleged imbalance to be corrected in the interest of unity and the collective destiny of Bayelsans.

The group further warned against a situation where some citizens would be regarded as “core” and others as “non-core” based on language, geography, political connections or proximity to power.

The BRM urged the administration to take urgent steps to address what it described as an anomaly, warning that the situation could weaken the bonds that hold Bayelsans together and undermine their common identity as a people.

It also pointed to the economic and strategic contributions of the affected areas, arguing that their roles in the state’s economic life should be reflected in the distribution of political responsibilities.

The BRM therefore called on Governor Diri to review the existing political arrangement and take deliberate steps to restore what it described as fairness and inclusiveness in the composition of government and the political leadership of the state.

The Bayelsa Rescue Mission said it would continue to hold the government accountable on issues affecting the people, adding that it would speak for those who feel unheard, demand fairness for those who feel excluded and insist that governance must focus on the welfare and dignity of all Bayelsans.

The group concluded: “Every Bayelsan deserves a place at the table. Every community deserves a voice. And every part of Bayelsa deserves a government that works for it.”