Kenneth Okonkwo Accuses APC of Using Abia Governor Otti to Stifle Opposition Campaigns
A chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Kenneth Okonkwo, has criticised the All Progressives Congress (APC) for imposing steep fees on presidential and governorship campaign billboards in Abia State. Speaking on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily, he said the ruling party has made it nearly impossible for opposition groups to gain visibility.
Okonkwo pointed out that candidates are being asked to pay as much as ₦200 million for a presidential billboard and ₦150 million for a governorship one in Abia. He warned that multiplying the ₦200 million figure by the 36 states plus the Federal Capital Territory reveals the sheer scale of the financial burden placed on political aspirants.
He described the APC’s actions as a “scourge” aimed at undermining democracy, arguing that the inflated costs are merely a tactic to silence dissenting voices and limit the opposition’s ability to communicate their policies to the electorate.
Expressing his surprise, Okonkwo added that he did not expect Governor Alex Otti to comply with such demands. In his view, the governor is being used as an instrument of the APC’s agenda to thwart rival parties, a development he labelled “really unfortunate.”
