Anambra 2017: Nwoye, Ezeemo Dragged to Court over N9m Poster Levy

David-Chyddy Eleke in Awka

The Anambra State Signage and Advertisement Agency (ANSAA) has dragged the duo of Chiefs Tony Nwoye and Godwin Ezeemo to court for not paying the required levy of N9 million each before pasting their campaign posters in some parts of the state.

The Managing Director of ANSAA, Mr. Jude Emecheta, told journalists that the state law stipulates that aspirants were supposed to pay N9 million each at N3m per senatorial zone before they could be allowed to display their posters.

Ezeemo of the Progressives Peoples Alliance and Nwoye of the All Progressives Congress were accused of violating the law, hence, the court action.

Emechata who said generally governorship aspirants in the state had shown nonchalance in paying the poster levy, said the agency would use every available means within the ambit of the law to cause them to comply with the regulation.

He said, “The law establishing ANSAA provides that no person, agency, local government or organisation can put up a structure without paying the mandatory fees”. He said the aspirants were contending that it was unconstitutional for them to be so levied in an election contest.

The ANSAA boss said the aspirants were also saying that the state government was usurping the constitutional function of the local government councils by collecting such tax.

“But they are wrong because every local government area in the state is a member of ANSAA and partner the state government to share the revenue accruing from such levies.”

He said the levy was not meant to witch-hunt any of the aspirants as alleged in some quarters, adding that the incumbent governor, Chief Willy Obiano, must pay the levy before he would be allowed to display his posters.

He said the agency had recently dismantled and destroyed illegal billboards mounted by certain people, purporting to be working for the reelection of Governor Obiano.

“Though the Agency has removed the governor’s posters and dismantled the billboards erected along the Awka end of Enugu-Onitsha express way, the Governor has denied knowledge of the bill boards and posters when ANSAA confronted him with it. The governor asked us to trace and prosecute such people, because he has not started his campaigns”.

Emechata said no amount of intimidation, litigation by politicians or organisations would deter the Agency from doing its job. “These aspirants should be responsible aspirants and candidates and not brigands, and if you do not like the law, you go to court and contest it instead of behaving irresponsibly”, he stated.

Reacting, the Anambra state chairman of APC, Mr. Emeka Ibe, a lawyer, described the poster levy as unconscionable meant to cow opposition. He said APC would challenge the act in court, vowing that nobody or policy would stop his party from producing the next governor of the state.