A Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate in Kogi State has publicly condemned a government policy requiring assembly candidates to pay N5 million for campaign signage ahead of the 2027 general elections, warning that the levy will effectively shut ordinary Nigerians out of the democratic process. Michael Samuel Idoko, the PDP’s flagbearer for the Ogugu State Constituency, made his position known on Tuesday, 11 August, in a statement responding to an announcement by Kogi’s Commissioner for Information and Communications, Kingsley Fanwo.
Fanwo had disclosed that candidates seeking seats in the state House of Assembly would be required to pay the sum for billboards and other campaign materials — a policy the state government framed as a revenue and regulatory measure. Idoko rejected that framing outright, arguing that democracy should not be converted into a money-making exercise for government coffers.
The Ogugu candidate challenged the basic premise that billboards determine electoral outcomes. “History has repeatedly shown that many candidates have won elections without erecting a single billboard,” he said. “Votes come from the hearts of the people, not from painted metal structures.” He insisted that grassroots engagement, credibility and public trust — not roadside signage — decide elections in Nigeria.
Idoko was equally pointed about what N5 million could achieve if directed elsewhere. He listed what that sum could fund in his constituency:
“Asking candidates to spend such money on billboards while many citizens cannot afford food, medication and transportation is morally indefensible,” he said. The argument cuts to the heart of a persistent tension in Nigerian politics — the growing financial barrier that separates those who can contest from those who cannot.
Idoko warned that the policy would disproportionately affect young aspirants, women and community-level politicians, precisely the groups whose participation is most needed to broaden democratic representation in Kogi State. He challenged the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to reconcile the levy with its stated commitment to a people-focused government, arguing that a genuinely pro-people administration would reduce the cost of political participation rather than inflate it.
He called on civil society organisations, political parties and youth groups to reject what he described as an unjustifiable burden, and urged the state government to revise the policy before it further dampens civic engagement. “Kogi people need jobs, roads, healthcare, education and economic relief — not outrageous billboard charges,” he said. “Democracy should never become a luxury reserved for a privileged few.”
Idoko confirmed that his own campaign would be built on direct community engagement rather than large-scale advertising. “My campaign will be built on service, accessibility and the confidence of the people, not on the size of my billboards,” he said.