The Kogi Signage and Advertisement Agency on Wednesday, announced outright banning of pasting of posters in Lokoja Metropolis and some Local Government Areas by politicians and other corporate organisations.

The Agency’s General Manager, Mr Osaseyi Richard, announced the ban in a statement in Lokoja.

Richard explained that the measure was aimed at ensuring a hitch-free, level-playing ground, sanity and to protect the environment from defilement before, during and after the Nov. 11 governorship election in the state.

The GM, who said he had earlier issued some guidelines on the use of campaign materials, urged all political parties, gubernatorial candidates, politicians and supporters to abide by the guidelines.

“This development is in accordance with its mandate to control and regulate advert displays in the state, as provided under Section 5(1)(a-o) of the Kogi State Signage and Advertisment Law, 2022.

“Therefore, any defaulters, or anyone found involved in any form of impunity, lawlessness in the deployment of political campaign materials will be made to face the consequences of their actions.

“This is because the agency has banned campaign posters of all candidates in Lokoja metropolis, Kabba/Bunu, ljumu, Yagba West, Ankpa, Idah, Ayingba, Adavi, Okene and Okehi towns.

“We are poised to assisting all political parties, politicians, and supporters in ensuring hitch-free and level playing ground in the use of political campaign and advertising materials in the state.

“The agency hereby urge everyone to comply with the guidelines to ensure sanity and to protect the environment from defilement, visual blight and other adverse effects of uncontrolled deployment and display of political campaign materials.”

He said the guidelines are issued without prejudice to any political party, associations or candidates, stating that it is the agency’s intention to ensure fairness among all participants while judiciously performing its duties and applying the rules without sentiment or bias.

He gave exceptions that political campaign materials on billboards might be deployed on existing structures owned and operated by outdoor advertising practitioners who were duly registered with the agency and had obtained permits for such sites and structures.

The gener manager said that each billboard erected must be made of standard and sturdy materials to ensure they did not fall or block the roads or constitute risk to residents and commuters.

“Posters must not be pasted on public utility structures such as Street lamps, poles, Transformers, the Ganaja fly-over and other unauthorized surfaces except as duly authorized by the agency upon payment of relevant fees.

“In addition to the sum of N5,000,000.00 fee payment to the agency by political parties wishing to deploy campaign materials within the state, each billboard erected by parties, candidates or supporters attracts fee of N2,000,000.00

“The sum of N1,000,000.00 will be charged as fee payable to the agency by political parties for every banner displayed in public places.

“A refundable Caution fee of N50,000,000.00 (Fifty Million Naira only) shall be charged by the Agency for the deployment of all campaign materials before, during and after the election.

“Campaign posters of all candidates are hereby banned in the following parts of Kogi State: Lokoja Metropolis, Kabba/Bunu, ljumu, Yagba West, Ankpa, Idah, Ayingba, Adavi, Okene, Okehi.

“All political parties and candidates must remove the campaign materials not more than 10 days after the gubernatorial election on Nov. 11.

“Parties, candidates and supporters must refrain from the use of unsavory languages on opponents and to be mindful of the contents of their campaign materials, ” he said.