The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has threatened to drag the Anambra State Government to court over its policy mandating governorship candidates in the forthcoming November 8 election to pay a ₦50 million campaign permit fee.
This follows the announcement on Wednesday by the Anambra State Signage and Advertising Agency (ANSAA) that all governorship candidates are required to pay the fee to secure a permit for deploying campaign materials such as posters, billboards, and branded vehicles across the state.
InfoStride News reports that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has cleared 16 candidates, including the incumbent Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, to contest the poll.

However, the ADC has condemned the policy, describing it as a deliberate attempt to weaken opposition parties ahead of the election.
Speaking to newsmen on Thursday in Awka, the state chairman of ADC, Patrick Obianyo, expressed the party’s displeasure over the directive, vowing to challenge it legally if not withdrawn.
“If the state government refuses to reverse this decision, the ADC will institute legal action against it. Our governorship candidate will not pay the fee because it amounts to intimidation and an attempt to stifle democracy and the opposition,” Obianyo declared.
He described the policy as “unheard of” and questioned its justification, especially under Governor Soludo’s administration, noting that Soludo himself did not pay such a fee when he contested for governor in 2021.
“How can a political party be asked to pay ₦50 million just for campaign materials like T-shirts, caps, and pamphlets? This is happening for the first time in Anambra, and one wonders why Governor Soludo is allowing himself to be associated with such an anti-democratic policy,” he said.
Obianyo alleged that the move signals fear of the opposition by the incumbent administration and insisted that the party would resist the imposition.
“We are capable of paying, but that does not make it right. It is unconstitutional, undemocratic, and unacceptable. We reject it outrightly,” he added.
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