By Adadainfo
The Anambra State government, Sunday, gave political parties and candidates running for the 2023 elections up to 5th December 2022 to clear their debts incurred through their respective campaign posters and billboards across the state.
Recall that Gov Chukwuma Soludo had some weeks ago imposed charges on various sizes of posters and billboards for campaigns across the state.
The directive, pundits say, will check various posters of Mr Peter Obi of the Labour Party, as well as other candidates of various political parties campaigning in the state.
The directive was contained in a statement by the state’s Signage and Advertising Agency (ANSAA), signed by its managing director, Tony Odili Ujubuonu.
It read in part, “Anambra State Signage and Advertisement Agency, through a letter dated 14th November, 2022, urged all out-of-home advertising practitioners in the state to revalidate and register all their billboards.
“The agency expected maximum cooperation from the practitioners in terms of registering their billboards and payment of campaigns but are yet to get such.
“As a result of the above, the agency has directed all billboard owners to provide the information required to register each billboard and also pay up for any campaign on them.
‘Through this release, the entire political party candidates for the upcoming general elections are urged to make sure those handling their campaigns have made payments to the government to avoid ANSAA defacing their campaign materials.
“The agency has also given a two-week grace to make such payments or face a legal enforcement. It has also gotten to the knowledge of the agency that some political party candidates are erecting billboards on their own ignorantly.
“The agency wants to state that this is not only wrong but illegal and any such billboard would be brought down without any notice, the structure seized permanently and auctioned.
“This lasts between 14th November to 5th of December. It’s the wish of the agency that by the 5th of December 2022, all billboards in the state must have been duly registered and paid for, as legal enforcement starts immediately.”
