African Action Congress (AAC) governorship candidate in Abia State, Doris Ogala, has accused Governor Alex Otti of being afraid of her over the state’s ₦150 million campaign billboard permit fee.
Ogala made the allegation on Thursday during a visit to the Abia State Structures for Signages and Advertising Agency (ABSSAA), where she rejected the newly introduced permit fee for governorship candidates and vowed not to pay the amount.
The actress-turned-politician described the policy as an attempt to frustrate opposition candidates ahead of the 2027 governorship election, insisting that she could not afford the fee and that it would prevent ordinary Nigerians from participating in the democratic process.
The Abia State Government, through ABSSAA, recently announced that governorship candidates must pay ₦150 million for a campaign advertising permit. Under the new directive, presidential candidates are to pay ₦200 million, senatorial candidates ₦100 million, House of Representatives candidates ₦50 million, while candidates for state Houses of Assembly are expected to pay ₦20 million.
The agency said the fees are compulsory for all political parties and are aimed at regulating outdoor political advertising, promoting public safety and ensuring fair access to advertising spaces ahead of the 2027 general election.
However, Ogala questioned the justification for the policy, arguing that many residents of the state were battling economic hardship while workers and pensioners were still facing challenges.
“People are dying in the hospital, workers are crying; their salaries have not been paid. And you’re imposing ₦150 million for a candidate. Where will I get the money from? Do I have a godfather who has stolen government funds?” she asked.
She also challenged authorities to remove her campaign materials if she refused to pay the permit fee.
“I should pay ₦150 million. I dare anybody to try to touch my billboard. We can’t pay with that billboard in this state. This is targeted at me. Otti is afraid of me. While the current administration boasts about human capital development and creating an enabling environment, the reality on the ground tells a completely different story,” Ogala said.
She called on Governor Otti’s administration to withdraw the directive, warning that if it remained in place, candidates would be forced to campaign without billboards.
According to her, demanding such a high fee would discourage less wealthy candidates and smaller political parties from participating fully in the electoral process.
“Demanding an exorbitant fee of ₦150 million for a state permit does not empower our youth or foster economic growth; it deliberately shuts the door on ordinary citizens and entrepreneurs while systematically extorting political rivals.
“Democracy thrives on a level playing field where the people freely choose their leaders, not on state-sanctioned financial barriers designed to eliminate competition. It will not stand. Otherwise, all of us will campaign without a billboard,” she added.
Ogala also questioned the timing of the policy, saying many people in the state were struggling to survive.
“When we have people in the hospital, in the streets, homeless? What are we talking about, these pensioners, whom the governor himself has paraded online, saying that he has paid their arrears?
“These people are hungry somewhere. And you’re telling me that ABSSAA, from Abia State, gave a statement from the state governor that a candidate will pay ₦150 million.”
She explained that she visited the agency to confirm whether the directive was genuine.
Reacting to the controversy, the AAC’s presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, criticised Governor Otti in a Facebook post.
“Alex C. Otti has become one of the biggest political disappointments in Nigeria. Alex Otti is a massive scam, and the full extent of that scam is still unravelling,” Sowore wrote.
Responding to Ogala’s concerns, the Head of the Department of Administration at ABSSAA defended the policy, saying all political parties had been invited to a stakeholders’ meeting where the new fees were presented.
“There was a stakeholders’ meeting. You people were invited. It happened yesterday. All political parties were invited. The news is right. It’s from the government. The state government approved it,” the official said.
Ogala won the AAC ticket in Abia State in May.