The battle over campaign billboards in Kwara State is fast becoming more than a dispute over advertising regulations
The confrontation between the government and political actors has unfolded against a wider struggle for visibility, alliances and electoral advantage ahead of the 2027 governorship election
Daily Trust reports that at a stakeholders engagement on political advertising and campaign communications organised by KWASAA recently, presidential candidates are expected to pay N100 million, governorship candidates N50 million, senatorial candidates N30 million, House of Representatives candidates N10 million, and House of Assembly candidates N2 million for campaign advertising permits
The controversy began with the removal of a billboard promoting the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate, Suleiman Bolakale Kawu, at the Geri Alimi Underpass in Ilorin
While the development immediately triggered accusations of political interference, the government and the Kwara State Signage and Advertising Agency (KWASAA) have maintained that the action was regulatory and unrelated to Kawu or the PDP
KWASAA said the advertising structure had issues concerning approval and that its operator, Al-Mubarak Marketing Agency, had outstanding obligations to the agency
The government also said payment for advertising space did not, by itself, amount to approval of a structure that had not met the relevant regulatory requirements
But Al-Mubarak challenged that account It said it had secured the necessary approvals and paid the applicable charges before the billboard was mounted. The advertising company also said the Geri Alimi facility had been under its management for years and that the same structure was included in bills issued to it by KWASAA.
The company questioned why it would be billed for the facility and later have a billboard removed on the grounds of non-compliance
The dispute however widened when KWASAA subsequently removed Kawu’s campaign materials at Agaka and Adabata Junction The agency said the action followed specific infractions, including the alleged digging of a newly constructed road to create space for a billboard at one location and the mounting of another on government-owned water infrastructure without the required approval.
Kawu and the PDP, however, interpreted the successive removals differently, alleging that the enforcement was being used to curtail the opposition candidate’s visibility as the 2027 contest gathers momentum
Kawu said, “You may remove a billboard, but you cannot remove an idea whose time has come,” while insisting that his aspiration to serve Kwara could not be removed with campaign materials
The PDP further alleged that the Agaka billboard was removed ahead of the governor’s forthcoming turbanning ceremony to prevent political invitees from having access to it The party urged AbdulRazaq to stop alleged political intimidation.
The government has rejected the allegation of selective enforcement
Its communications aide, Ibrahim Abdullateef, said opposition campaign materials were still visible in parts of Ilorin, arguing that the administration had no reason to suppress political competition
KWASAA General Manager, Toba Adeyeye, also said the agency had removed illegal campaign materials belonging to members of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) during the party’s primary election season
Adeyeye said the agency would similarly remove any billboard belonging to an APC candidate if it violated the rules, maintaining that KWASAA was not partisan and that enforcement would continue irrespective of political affiliation
For civil society actors, however, the controversy raises a broader question about whether the regulatory framework allows all political contestants to compete on reasonably equal terms
Speaking on the development, Comrade Otitolaye of the Community Outreach for Development and Welfare Advocacy (CODWA), a civil society organisation, said the enforcement would amount to a shrinking of the civic space if the fees imposed on billboard erection were beyond the reach of opposition parties and other citizens
He argued that placing what he described as exorbitant charges on political billboards could give an undue advantage to the ruling party, which, according to him, has greater access to public resources
Otitilaye, however, said the government’s position would be fair if the rules were applied uniformly, regardless of political affiliation
“If the government said whoever flouts the rules, including the ruling party, opposition and citizens, will be sanctioned or have the billboard pulled down, I think it is a fair rule and fair process,” he said
Similarly, Comrade Musa Aliyu, a former official of the Media Advocacy and Technologies Centre (MATEK) and Accord Party senatorial candidate, described the policy as “dead on arrival”, alleging that it was designed to limit the visibility of opposition candidates ahead of the election
Aliyu, who said he had been directly affected by the policy, argued that the restrictions could undermine the principle of a level playing field in the electoral process
He alleged that the enforcement was targeted at preventing opposition voices from reaching voters, describing the development as a threat to democratic participation
According to him, the removal of some billboards belonging to members of the ruling party did not, on its own, dispel concerns about the policy, arguing that such actions could merely create an appearance of neutrality while the broader restrictions remained in place
Aliyu said the restrictions had already affected his campaign visibility, adding that candidates relied on public advertising to introduce themselves and their programmes to voters
He nevertheless maintained that his campaign would continue, insisting that opposition candidates could still prevail even without billboards