A Federal High Court has upheld the N150 million campaign billboard permit fee introduced by the Enugu State Structures for Signage and Advertisement Agency (ENSSAA).
The ruling clears the agency to continue enforcing the fee ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The clarification followed the release of the Certified True Copy of the judgment after social media claims wrongly suggested the fee had been cancelled.
Justice Mabel Segun-Bello delivered the judgment on September 1, 2026, at the Federal High Court in Enugu.
The court dismissed a suit filed by the Labour Party, Nigeria Democratic Congress, Social Democratic Party and some of their leaders.
The parties had argued that only INEC has the constitutional power to regulate political campaigns and campaign advertisements.
They also asked the court to stop ENSSAA from collecting the N150 million permit fee.
However, the judge ruled that outdoor advertising is not the exclusive responsibility of the National Assembly or the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON).
The court held that Enugu State has the legal authority to regulate outdoor advertising through ENSSAA.
Justice Segun-Bello also ruled that ENSSAA was properly empowered to issue its directive on political campaign advertisements.
The judgment means political parties must comply with the permit fee unless a higher court overturns the decision.
The ruling is expected to influence preparations for outdoor political campaigns across Enugu State ahead of the 2027 elections.