2027: Campaign posters spark fresh dispute between Benue govt, PDP

The Benue State Environmental Sanitation Authority (BENSESA) has warned political parties, candidates and campaign groups against erecting billboards or putting up campaign posters without approval across the state.

The warning was contained in a notice dated September 3, 2026, and signed by BENSESA General Manager, Mr Anta Igbaato.

The agency said the indiscriminate erection of billboards and pasting of campaign materials could create environmental nuisance. It therefore urged political actors to obtain the required approval before placing campaign materials in public or private spaces.

However, the directive has sparked a reaction from the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which accused the administration of Governor Hyacinth Alia of trying to restrict opposition activities ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The PDP’s reaction has added a political dimension to the environmental agency’s directive, with the opposition expressing concern over how the enforcement could affect campaign activities ahead of the elections.

The authority said its directive was backed by Section 14(a) of the BENSESA Law 2005, which provides that: “No person shall paste any handbill, poster, notice, sign or advertisement on any street, public or private property without the permission of the Authority.”

According to the agency, Section 14(b) of the law empowers it to “remove, deface or destroy any notice, handbill, sign, advertisement or poster erected or pasted without the approval of the Authority,” warning political parties and candidates to comply with the law.

BENSESA further stated that parties seeking to erect campaign billboards must obtain approval for their proposed locations, stressing that Section 15 of the law makes it the “full custodian of all Road Setbacks within the State.”

It therefore directed political parties and campaign organisations to obtain its permission before pasting posters and handbills or erecting billboards, adding that failure to do so would attract enforcement action in line with the provisions of the 2005 law.

However, the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in its reaction, accused the administration of Governor Hyacinth Alia of using BENSESA to suppress opposition political activities ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The PDP, in a statement by its State Publicity Secretary, Bright Antyo, described the directive as “anti-democratic” and a “threat to free political participation,” saying it could be used to frustrate opposition parties from communicating with voters.

The party said: “While we support environmental sanitation and orderly urban development, we reject any attempt to use a government agency as a political tool to frustrate legitimate political engagement and freedom of expression guaranteed under the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended).”

The PDP also questioned the timing of the directive, arguing that it came when political parties were preparing to engage the electorate ahead of the 2027 elections. It alleged that the discretionary powers granted to BENSESA could be abused to favour the ruling party while restricting opposition candidates.

“Democracy thrives on a level playing field, not on selective regulations designed to confer undue advantage on those in power,” the party said, urging Governor Alia to reverse what it described as an “ill-advised directive.”

The PDP subsequently called on INEC, civil society organisations, the media, security agencies and other stakeholders to monitor developments in the state, insisting that the 2027 elections must be conducted in an atmosphere of fairness, openness and equal opportunity for all contestants.

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