Anambra 2025: Signage agency to sanction political parties for non-compliance with campaign guidelines, bickers with APC

By Alphonsus Nweze, Onitsha

As political parties in Anambra State begin campaigns for the upcoming November 8 gubernatorial election in the state, the Anambra State Signage and Advertisment Agency (ANSAA) has announced their readiness to sanction any political party who has not complied with fifty million naira (₦50,000,000) campaign permit.
The agency stated this during a briefing of newsmen in Awka, the Anambra State capital, on the update on the implementation of the “Out-of- home promotions and visual campaign guidelines for Political Parties for the Anambra State gubernatoral election” at their headquarters in Awka
The Managing Director of ANSAA, Tony Odili Ujubuonu, recalled that on June 11, 2025 the Agency unveiled the official out-of-home advertising guidelines including the stipulated campaign fee of Fifty Million Naira (₦50,000,000)
He explained that the guidelines were designed to ensure orderliness, fairness and aesthetic responsibility throughout the electioneering period.
Ujubuonu however some political parties have fully complied with the guidelines by paying their campaign fee, while others have not.
Those that complied they include:
Young Progressives Party (YPP)
Action Democratic Congress (ADC)
Labour Party (LP)
Action Alliance (AA)
All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA)
He said that these political parties have since been granted a campaign permit each and an access to the out-of-home campaign space across the state.
The chief executive disclosed that some of the the remaining political Parties have opted for alternative campaign platform such as social medias, Radio or television to avoid breaching the established regulations, saying that the Agency accepted it provided it doesn’t violate the out-of-home advertising law in the state.
“Unfortunately, one political party has deliberately violated the law. Despite refusing to obtain the mandatory campaign permit, they have proceeded to engage in unauthorized promotional activities; erecting posters, branding vehicles, hoisting banners, organising promotional items bearing party names and logos, and even installing unapproved billboards at irregular sites without registered practitioners and due vetting from the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON)” Said Odili Ujubuonu.
He also said that the same political party has resorted to violence to obstruct officials of ANSAA team at Nri, Aniocha Local Government Area who were on official assignment, saying that prior to the incident, the party had been issued with two demand notices within a period of two months and with a two-week compliance window, followed by a legal reminder with an additional one-week timeline.

“On August 1,2025, after the expiration of our notice and amidst the altercation at Nri, the party suddenly rushed in a backdated letter to our office, claiming a dispute over the same campaign fee which other political parties had already paid, which clearly was an attempt to delay compliance and divert attention from their unlawful actions. The letter was received but because it came after our grace period we could do nothing about it” the MD added.
He also said that ANSAA has formerly reported the incident at Nri to the Nigerian Police, stressing that all lawful steps necessary to uphold the integity of the agency would be duly followed, assuring all the political parties that have complied the cooperation of the Agency.
We gathered that the party in question is the All Progressives Congress (APC) whose members clashed with the officials f Anambra State Government last weekend during an event at Uli, Anaocha Local Government Areas of the Stste
But the ANSAA bos described APC as a highly respected political party, and law abiding, expressing surprise that in Anambra State, the Party has fallen into the hands of “brigands and deviants who think that civility is a culture for the weak and opted to employ violence and disregard for the law”.
He urged Ndi Anambra and general public to disregard the disinformation being circulated by the APC Party, stating that ANSAA would fully acting within their legal right to enforce compliance.
Ujubuonu reiterated that the ongoing campaign was to assist Ndi Anambra to fulfill their civic duty and not a do or die affair just as he advised candidates, their supporters, general public to avoid violence, provocation and any form of unprofessional conduct as it relates to public promotion, advertising and campaign.
He further called on the media to support ANSAA in ensuring a peaceful campaign process across the state.